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OF  CALIFORNIA 

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BEYOND  THE  ROCKS 

A  LOVE  STORY 


BY 

ELINOR    GLYN 

Author   of 

Three  Weeks,"    "The  Visits  of  Elizabeth," 
"The  Vicissitudes  of  Evangeline,"  "The 
Reflections  of  Ambrosine." 


NEW  YORK 

THE  MACAULAY  COMPANY 

1912 


Copyright,  1906,  by  Elinor  Glyn 
All  rights  reset  ved 


THE  SCHILLING   PRESS 
NEW  YORK 


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Beyond  the  Rocks 


644472 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


The  hours  were  composed  mostly  of  dull  or 
rebellious  moments  during  the  period  of  Theo- 
dora's engagement  to  Mr.  Brown.  From  the 
very  first  she  had  thought  it  hard  that  she 
should  have  had  to  take  this  situation,  instead 
of  Sarah  or  Clementine,  her  elder  step-sisters, 
so  much  nearer  his  age  than  herself.  To  do 
them  justice,  either  of  these  ladies  would  have 
been  glad  to  relieve  her  of  the  obligation  to 
become  Mrs.  Brown,  but  Mr.  Brown  thought 
otherwise, 

A  young  and  beautiful  wife  was  what  he 
bargained  for. 

To  enter  a  family  composed  of  three  girls — 
two  of  the  first  family,  one  almost  thirty  and 
a  second  very  plain — a  father  with  a  habit  of 
accumulating  debts  and  obliged  to  live  at 
Bruges  and  inexpensive  foreign  sea-side  towns. 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


required  a  strong  motive;  and  this  Josiah 
Brown  found  in  the  deliciously  rounded,  white 
velvet  cheek  of  Theodora,  the  third  daughter, 
to  say  nothing  of  her  slender  grace,  the  grace 
of  a  young  fawn,  and  a  pair  of  gentian-blue 
eyes  that  said  things  to  people  in  the  first  glance. 

Poor,  foolish,  handsome  Dominic  Fitzgerald, 
light-hearted,  debonair  Irish  gentleman,  gay 
and  gallant  on  his  miserable  pension  of  a  broken 
and  retired  Guardsman,  had  had  just  sufficient 
sense  to  insist  upon  magnificent  settlements, 
certainly  prompted  thereto  by  Clementine, 
who  inherited  the  hard-headedness  of  the  early 
defunct  Scotch  mother,  as  well  as  her  high 
cheek-bones.  That  affair  had  been  a  youthful 
mesalliance. 

"You  had  better  see  we  all  gain  something 
by  it,  papa,"  she  had  said.  "Make  the  old 
bore  give  Theodora  a  huge  allowance,  and 
have  it  all  fixed  and  settled  by  law  beforehand. 
She  is  such  a  fool  about  money — just  like  you — • 
she  will  shower  it  upon  us ;  and  you  make  him 
pay  you  a  sum  down  as  well." 

Captain  Fitzgerald  fortunately  consulted  an 
honest  solicitor,  and  so  things  were  arranged  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  parties  concerned  except 
Theodora  herself,  who  found  the  whole  affair 
far  from  her  taste. 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


That  one  must  marr}^  a  rich  man  if  one  got 
the  chance,  to  help  poor,  darling  papa,  had  al- 
ways been  part  of  her  cree;!,  more  or  less  in- 
spired by  papa  himself.  But  when  it  came  to 
the  scratch,  and  Josiah  Brown  was  offered  as 
a  husband,  Theodora  had  had  to  use  every  bit 
of  her  nerve  and  self-control  to  prevent  herself 
from  refusing. 

She  had  not  seen  many  men  in  her  nineteen 
years  of  out-at-elbows  life,  but  she  had  im- 
agination, and  the  one  or  two  peeps  at  smart 
old  friends  of  papa's,  landed  from  stray  yachts 
now  and  then,  at  out-of-the-way  French  water- 
ing-places, had  given  her  an  ideal  far,  far 
removed  from  the  personality  of  Josiah  Brown. 

But,  as  Sarah  explained  to  her,  such  men 
could  never  be  husbands.  They  might  be 
lovers,  if  one  was  fortunate  enough  to  move 
in  their  sphere,  but  husbands  —  never!  and 
there  was  no  use  Theodora  protesting  this 
violent  devotion  to  darling  papa,  if  she  could 
not  do  a  small  thing  like  marrying  Josiah 
Brown  for  him! 

Theodora's  beautiful  mother,  dead  in  the 
first  year  of  her  runaway  marriage,  had  been 
the  daughter  of  a  stiff-necked,  unforgiving  old 
earl;  she  had  bequeathed  her  child,  besides 
these  gentian  eyes  and  wonderful,  silvery  blond 

3 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


hair,  a  warm,  generous  heart  and  a  more  or 
less  romantic  temperament. 

The  heart  was  touched  by  darHng  papa's 
needs,  and  the  romantic  temperament  revolted 
by  Josiah  Brown's  personality. 

However,  there  it  was!  The  marriage  took 
place  at  the  Consulate  at  Dieppe,  and  a  per- 
fectly miserable  little  bride  got  into  the  train 
for  Paris,  accompanied  by  a  fat,  short,  pros- 
perous, middle-class  English  husband,  who  had 
accumulated  a  large  fortune  in  Australia,  quite 
by  accident,  in  a  comparatively  few  years. 

Josiah  Brown  was  only  fifty-two,  though  his 
head  was  bald  and  his  figure  far  from  slight. 
He  had  a  liver,  a  chest,  and  a  temper,  and  he 
adored  Theodora. 

Captain  Fitzgerald  had  felt  a  few  qualms 
when  he  had  wished  his  little  daughter  good- 
bye on  the  platform  and  had  seen  the  blue 
stars  swimming  with  tears.  The  two  daughters 
left  to  him  were  so  plain,  and  he  hated  plain 
people  about  him;  but,  on  the  other  hand, 
women  must  marry,  and  what  chance  had  he, 
poor,  unlucky  devil,  of  establishing  his  Theo- 
dora better  in  life  ? 

Josiah  Brown  was  a  good  fellow,  and  he, 
Dominic  Fitzgerald,  had  for  the  first  time  for 
many    years    a    comfortable    balance    at    his 

4 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


bankers,  and  coiild  run  up  to  Paris  himself 
in  a  few  days,  and  who  knows,  the  American 
widow,  fabulously  rich — Jane  Anastasia  Mc- 
Bride — might  take  him  seriously! 

Captain  Dominic  Fitzgerald  was  irresistible, 
and  had  that  fortunate  Ivnack  of  looking  like  a 
gentleman  in  the  oldest  clothes.  If  married 
for  the  third  time — but  this  time  prosperously, 
to  a  fabulously  rich  American — his  well-bom 
relations  would  once  more  welcome  him  with 
open  arms,  he  felt  sure,  and  visions  of  the  best 
pheasant  shoots  at  old  Beechleigh,  and  par- 
tridge drives  at  Rothering  Castle  floated  before 
his  eyes,  quite  obscuring  the  fading  smoke  of 
the  Paris  train. 

"A  pretty  tough,  dull  affair  miarriage,"  he 
said  to  himself,  reminded  once  more  of  Theo- 
dora by  treading  on  a  white  rose  in  the  sta- 
tion. "Hope  to  Heavens  Sarah  prepared  her 
for  it  a  bit."  Then  he  got  into  a  fiacre  and 
drove  to  the  hotel,  where  he  and  the  two 
remaining  Misses  Fitzgerald  were  living  in  the 
style  of  their  forefathers. 

Josiah  Brown's  valet,  Mr.  Toplington,  who 
knew  the  world,  had  engaged  rooms  for  the 
happy  couple  at  the  Grand  Hotel.  "We'll 
go  to  the  Ritz  on  our  way  back,"  he  de- 
cided, "but  at  first,  in  case  there's  scenes  and 

5 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


tears,  it's  better  to  be  a  niunber  than  a  name." 
Mademoiselle  Henriette,  the  freshly  engaged 
French  maid,  quite  agreed  with  him.  The 
Grand,  she  said,  was  ''plus  convenable  pour 
une  lune  de  Miel — "     Lune  de  Miel! 


It  was  a  year  later  before  Theodora  saw  her 
family  again.  A  very  severe  attack  of  bron- 
chitis, complicated  by  internal  catarrh,  pros- 
trated Josiah  Brown  in  the  first  days  of  their 
marriage,  and  had  turned  her  into  a  superin- 
tendent nurse  for  the  next  three  months;  by 
that  time  a  winter  at  Hyeres  was  recommended 
by  the  best  physicians,  and  off  they  started. 

Hyeres,  with  a  semi-invalid,  a  hospital  nurse, 
and  quantities  of  medicine  bottles  and  draught- 
protectors,  is  not  the  ideal  place  one  reads  of  in 
guide-books.  Theodora  grew  to  hate  the  sky 
and  the  blue  Mediterranean,  She  used  to  sit 
on  her  balcony  at  Costebelle  and  gaze  at  the 
olive-trees,  and  the  deep-green  velvet  patch  of 
firs  beyond,  towards  the  sea,  and  wonder  at 
life. 

She  longed  to  go  to  the  islands — anywhere 
beyond— and  one  day  she  read  Jean  d'Agreve  ; 
and  after  that  she  wondered  what  Love  was. 
It  took  a  mighty  hold  upon  her  imagination. 
It  seemed  to  her  it  must  mean  Life. 

7 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


It  was  the  beginning  of  May  before  Josiah 
Brown  thought  of  leaving  for  Paris.  England 
would  be  their  destination,  but  the  doctors 
assured  him  a  month  of  Paris  would  break  the 
change  of  climate  with  more  safety  than  if  they 
crossed  the  Channel  at  once. 

Costebelle  was  a  fairyland  of  roses  as  they 
drove  to  the  station,  and  peace  had  descended 
upon  Theodora.  She  had  fallen  into  her  place, 
a  place  occupied  by  many  wives  before  her 
with  irritable,  hypochondriacal  husbands. 

She  had  often  been  to  Paris  in  her  maiden 
days;  she  knew  it  from  the  point  of  view  of  a 
cheap  boarding-house  and  snatched  meals. 
But  the  unchecked  gayety  of  the  air  and  the 
fag  on  had  not  been  tarnished  by  that.  She 
had  played  in  the  Tuilleries  Gardens  and 
watched  Ponchinello  at  the  Rond  Point,  and 
later  been  taken  once  or  twice  to  dine  at  a 
cheap  cafe  in  the  Bois  by  papa.  And  once  she 
had  gone  to  Robinson  on  a  coach  with  him 
and  some  aristocratic  acquaintances  of  his, 
and  eaten  luncheon  up  the  tree,  and  that  was 
a  day  of  the  gods  and  to  be  remembered. 

But  now  they  were  going  to  an  expensive, 
well-managed  private  hotel  in  the  Avenue  du 
Bois,  suitable  to  invalids,  and  it  poured  with 
rain  as  they  drove  from  the  Gare  de  Lyon. 

8 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


All  this  time  something  in  Theodora  was 
developing.  Her  beautiful  face  had  an  air  of 
dignity.  The  set  of  her  little  Greek  head 
would  have  driven  a  sculptor  wild — and  Josiah 
Brown  was  very  generous  in  money  matters, 
and  she  had  always  known  how  to  wear  her 
clothes,  so  it  was  no  wonder  people  stopped 
and  turned  their  heads  when  she  passed. 

Josiah  Brown  possessed  certainly  not  less 
than  forty  thousand  a  year,  and  so  felt  he 
could  afford  a  carriage  in  Paris,  and  any  other 
fancy  he  pleased.  His  nerves  had  been  too 
shaken  by  his  illness  to  appreciate  the  joys  of 
an  automobile. 

Thus,  daily  rmght  be  seen  in  the  Avenue  des 
Acacias  this  ill-assorted  pair,  seated  in  a  smart 
victoria  with  stepping  horses,  driving  slowly 
up  and  down.  And  a  nimiber  of  people  took 
an  interest  in  them. 

Towards  the  middle  of  May  Captain  Fitz- 
gerald arrived  at  the  Continental,  and  Theo- 
dora felt  her  heart  beat  with  joy  when  she  saw 
his  handsome,  well-groomed  head. 

Oh  yes,  it  had  been  indeed  worth  while  to 
make  papa  look  so  prosperous  as  that  —  so 
prosperous  and  happy — dear,  gay  papa! 

He  was  about  the  sam^e  age  as  her  husband, 
but  no  one  would  think  of  taking  him  for  more 

9 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


than  forty.  And  what  a  figure  he  had!  and 
what  manners !  And  when  he  patted  her  cheek 
Theodora  felt  at  once  that  thrill  of  pride  and 
gratification  she  had  always  experienced  when 
he  was  pleased  with  her,  from  her  yotingest 
days. 

She  was  almost  glad  Sarah  and  Clementine 
should  have  remained  at  Dieppe.  Thus  she 
could  have  papa  all  to  herself,  and  oh,  what 
presents  she  would  send  them  back  by  him 
when  he  returned! 

Josiah  Brown  despised  Dominic  Fitzgerald, 
and  yet  stood  in  awe  of  him  as  well.  A  man 
who  could  spend  a  fortune  and  be  content  to 
live  on  odds  and  ends  for  the  rest  of  his  life 
must  be  a  poor  creature.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  there  was  that  uncomfortable  sense  of 
breeding  about  him  which  once,  when  Captain 
Fitzgerald  had  risen  to  a  situation  of  dignity 
during  their  preliminary  conversations  about 
Theodora's  hand,  had  made  Josiah  Brown 
unconsciously  say  "Sir"  to  him. 

He  had  blushed  and  bitten  his  tongue  for 
doing  it,  and  had  blustered  and  patronized  im- 
moderately afterwards,  but  he  never  forgot  the 
incident.  They  were  not  birds  of  a  feather,  and 
never  would  be,  though  the  exquisite  manners 
of  Dominic  Fitzgerald  could  carry  any  situation. 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Josiah  was  not  altogether  pleased  to  see  his 
father-in-law.  He  even  experienced  a  little 
jealousy.  Theodora's  face,  which  generally 
wore  a  mask  of  gentle,  solicitous  meekness  for 
him,  suddenly  sparkled  and  rippled  with  laugh- 
ter, as  '  e  pinched  her  papa's  ears,  and  pulled 
his  mustache,  and  purred  into  his  neck,  with 
joy  at  their  meeting. 

It  was  that  purring  sound  and  those  caress- 
ing tricks  that  Josiah  Brown  objected  to.  He 
had  never  received  any  of  them  himself,  and 
so  why  should  Dominic  Fitzgerald  ? 

Captain  Fitzgerald,  for  his  part,  was  enchant- 
ed to  clasp  his  beautiful  daughter  once  more  in 
his  arms;  he  had  always  loved  Theodora,  and 
when  he  saw  her  so  quite  too  desirable-looking 
in  her  exquisite  clothes,  he  felt  a  very  fine  fel- 
low himself,  thinking  what  he  had  done  for  her. 

It  was  not  an  unnatural  circumstance  that 
he  should  look  upon  the  idea  of  a  dinner  at 
the  respectable  private  hotel,  with  his  son-in- 
law  and  daughter,  as  a  trifle  dull  for  Paris,  or 
that  he  should  have  suggested  a  meal  at  the 
Ritz  would  do  them  both  good. 

"Come  and  dine  with  me  instead,  my  dear 
child,"  he  said,  with  his  grand  air.  "Josiah, 
you  must  begin  to  go  out  a  little  and  shake  off 
your  illness,  my  dear  fellow." 

II 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


But  Josiah  was  peevish. 

Not  to-night  —  certainly  not  to-night.  It 
was  the  evening  he  was  to  take  the  two  doses 
of  his  new  medicine,  one  half  an  hour  after  the 
other,  and  he  could  not  leave  the  hotel.  Then 
he  sav/  how  poor  Theodora's  face  fell,  and  one 
of  his  sparks  of  consideration  for  the  feelings 
of  others  came  to  him,  and  he  announced 
gruffly  that  his  wife  might  go  with  her  father, 
if  she  pleased,  provided  she  crept  into  her  room, 
which  was  next  door  to  his  own,  without  the 
least  noise  on  her  return. 

"  I  must  not  be  disturbed  in  my  first  sleep," 
he  said;  and  Theodora  thanked  him  raptur- 
ously. 

It  was  so  good  of  him  to  let  her  go — she 
would,  indeed,  make  not  the  least  noise,  and 
she  danced  out  of  the  room  to  get  ready  in  a 
way  Josiah  Brown  had  never  seen  her  do  be- 
fore. And  after  she  had  gone — Captain  Fitz- 
gerald came  back  to  fetch  her — this  fact  ran- 
kled with  him  and  prevented  his  sleep  for  more 
than  twenty  minutes, 

"My  sweet  child,"  said  Captain  Fitzgerald, 
when  he  was  seated  beside  his  daughter  in  her 
brougham,  rolling  down  the  Champs-Elysees, 
"you  must  not  be  so  grateful;  ^he  won't  let 
you  out  again  if  you  are." 

12 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Oh,  papa!"  said  Theodora. 

They  arrived  at  the  Ritz  just  at  the  right 
moment.  It  was  a  lovely  night,  but  rather 
cold,  so  there  Avere  no  diners  in  the  garden,  and 
the  crowd  from  the  restaurant  extended  even 
into  the  hall. 

It  was  an  immense  satisfaction  to  Dominic 
Fitzgerald  to  walk  through  them  all  with  this 
singularly  beautiful  young  woman,  and  to 
remark  the  effect  she  produced,  and  his  cup  of 
happiness  was  full  when  they  came  upon  a 
party  at  the  lower  end  by  the  door ;  prominent, 
as  hostess,  being  Jane  Anastasia  McBride — the 
fabulously  rich  American  widow. 

In  a  second  of  time  he  reviewed  the  situa- 
tion ;  a  faint  coldness  in  his  manner  would  be 
the  thing  to  draw — and  it  was;  for  when  he 
had  greeted  Mrs.  IMcBride  without  gush,  and 
presented  his  daughter  with  the  air  of  just 
passing  on,  the  widow  implored  them  with 
great  cordiality  to  leave  their  solitary  meal 
and  join  her  party.  Nor  would  she  hear  of 
any  refusal. 

The  whole  scene  was  so  novel  and  delightful 
to  Theodora  she  cared  not  at  all  whether  her 
father  accepted  or  no,  so  long  as  she  might  sit 
quietly  and  observe  the  world. 

Mrs.  McBride  had  perceived  immediately  that 
»  13 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


the  string  of  pearls  round.  Mrs.  Josiah  Brown's 
neck  could  not  have  cost  less  than  nine  thou- 
sand pounds,  and  that  her  frock,  although  so 
simple,  was  the  last  and  most  expensive  crea- 
tion of  C allot  Scjeurs.  She  had  always  been 
horribly  attracted  by  Captain  Fitzgerald,  ever 
since  that  ra^e  week  at  Trouville  two  summers 
ago,  and  fate  had  sent  them  here  to-night,  and 
she  mxcant  to  enjoy  herself. 

Captain  Fitzgerald  acceded  to  her  request 
with  his  usual  polished  ease,  and  the  radiant 
widow  presented  the  rest  of  her  guests  to  the 
two  new-comers. 

The  tall  man  with  the  fierce  beard  was 
Prince  Worrzoff,  married  to  her  niece,  Saidie 
Butcher.  Saidie  Butcher  was  short,  and  had  a 
voice  you  could  hear  across  the  room.  The 
sleek,  fair  youth  with  the  twinkling  gray  eyes 
was  an  Englishman  from  the  Embassy.  The 
disagreeable-looking  woman  in  the  badly  made 
mauve  silk  was  his  sister.  Lady  Hildon.  The 
stout,  hook-nosed  bird  of  prey  with  the  heavy 
gold  chain  was  a  Western  millionaire,  and  the 
smiling  girl  was  his  daughter.  Then,  last  of  all, 
came  Lord  Bracondale — and  it  was  when  he  was 
presented  that  Theodora  first  began  to  take  an 
interest  in  the  party. 

Hector,  fourteenth  Lord  Bracondale  of  Bra- 
14 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


condale  (as  she  later  that  night  read  in  the 
Peerage)  was  aged  thirty-one  years.  He  had 
been  educated  at  Eton  and  Oxford,  served  for 
some  time  in  the  Fourth  Lifeguards,  been  un- 
paid attache  at  St.  Petersburg,  was  patron  of 
five  livings,  and  sat  in  the  House  of  Lords  as 
Baron  Bracondale;  creation,  1505;  seat,  Bra- 
condale  Chase.  Brothers,  none.  Sister  living, 
Anne  Charlotte,  married  to  the  fourth  Earl  of 
Anningford. 

Theodora  read  all  this  over  twice,  and  also 
even  the  predecessors  and  collateral  branches — • 
but  that  was  while  she  burned  the  midnight  oil 
and  listened  to  the  snorts  and  coughs  of  Josiah 
Brown,  slumbering  next  door. 

For  the  time  being  she  raised  her  eyes  and 
looked  into  Lord  Bracondale's,  and  something 
told  her  they  were  the  nicest  e3'es  she  had  ever 
seen  in  this  world. 

Then  when  a  voluble  French  count  had 
rushed  up,  with  garrulous  apologies  for  being 
late,  the  party  was  complete,  and  they  swept 
into  the  restaurant. 

Theodora  sat  between  the  Western  millionaire 
and  the  Russian  Prince,  but  beyond — it  was  a 
round  table,  only  just  big  enough  to  hold  them 
— came  her  hostess  and  Lord  Bracondale,  and 
two   or    three    times    at    dinner   they   spoke, 

15 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


and  very  often  she  felt  his    eyes  fixed  upon 
her. 

Mrs.  McBride,  like  all  American  widows,  was 
an  admirable  hostess;  the  conversation  never 
flagged,  or  the  gayety  for  one  moment. 

The  Western  millionaire  was  shrewd,  and  an- 
nounced some  quaint  truths  while  he  picked  his 
teeth  with  an  audible  sound. 

"This  is  his  first  visit  to  Europe,"  Princess 
Worrzoff  said  afterwards  to  Theodora  by  way 
of  explanation.  "He  is  so  colossally  rich  he 
don't  need  to  worry  about  such  things  at  his 
time  of  life;  but  it  does  make  me  turn  to  hear 
him." 

Captain  Fitzgerald  was  in  his  element.  No 
guest  shone  so  brilliantly  as  he.  His  wit  was 
delicate,  his  sallies  were  daring,  his  looks  were 
insinuating,  and  his  appearance  was  perfec- 
tion. 

Theodora  had  every  reason  to  tingle  with 
pride  in  him,  and  the  widow  felt  her  heart 
beat. 

"  Isn't  he  just  too  bright — your  father,  Mrs. 
Brown?"  she  said  as  they  left  the  restaurant 
to  have  their  coffee  in  the  hall.  "You  must 
let  me  see  quantities  of  you  while  we  are  all  in 
Paris  together.  It  is  a  lovely  city;  don't  you 
agree  with  me?" 

i6 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


And  Theodora  did. 

Lord  Bracondale  was  of  the  same  breed  as 
Captain  Fitzgerald  —  that  is,  they  neither  of 
them  permitted  themselves  to  be  superseded 
by  any  other  man  with  the  object  of  their 
wishes.  When  they  wanted  to  talk  to  a 
woman  they  did,  if  twenty  French  counts  or 
Russian  princes  stood  in  the  way!  Thus  it 
was  that  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  Theodora 
found  herself  seated  upon  a  sofa  in  close  prox- 
imity to  the  man  who  had  interested  her  at 
dinner,  and  Mrs.  McBride  and  Captain  Fitz- 
gerald occupied  two  arm-chairs  equally  well 
placed,  while  the  rest  of  the  party  made  general 
conversation. 

Hector  Bracondale,  among  other  attractions, 
had  a  charming  voice ;  it  was  deep  and  arresting, 
and  he  had  a  way  of  looking  straight  into  the 
eyes  of  the  person  he  was  talking  to, 

Theodora  knew  at  once  he  belonged  to  the 
tribe  whom  Sarah  had  told  her  could  never  be 
husbands. 

She  wondered  vaguely  why,  all  the  time  she 
was  talking  to  him.  Why  had  husbands  always 
to  be  bores  and  unattractive,  and  sometimes 
even  simply  revolting,  like  hers?  Was  it  be- 
cause these  beautiful  creatures  could  not  be 
bound  to  any  one  woman  ?     It  seemed  to  her 

17 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


unsophisticated  mind  that  it  could  be  very- 
nice  to  be  married  to  one  of  them;  but  there 
was  no  use  fxghting  against  fate,  and  she  per- 
sonally was  wedded  to  Josiah  Brown. 

Lord  Bracondale's  conversation  pleased  her. 
He  seemed  to  understand  exactly  what  she 
wanted  to  talk  about ;  he  saw  all  the  things  she 
saw  and — he  had  read  Jean  d'Agreve! — they  got 
to  that  at  the  end  of  the  first  half-hour,  and 
then  she  froze  up  a  little;  some  instinct  told 
her  it  was  dangerous  ground,  so  she  spoke  sud- 
denly of  the  weather,  in  a  banal  voice. 

Aieanwhile,  from  the  beginning  of  dinner. 
Lord  Bracondale  had  been  saying  to  himself 
she  was  the  loveliest  white  flower  he  had  yet 
struck  in  a  path  of  varied  experiences.  Her 
eyes  so  innocent  and  true,  with  the  tender 
expression  of  a  fawn;  the  perfect  turn  of  her 
head  and  slender  pillar  of  a  throat;  her  grace 
and  gentleness,  all  appealed  to  him  in  a  mad- 
dening way. 

"  She  is  asleep  to  the  whole  of  life's  possibili- 
ties," he  thought.  "  What  can  her  husband  be 
about,  and  what  an  mtoxicatingly  agreeable 
task  to  wake  her  up!" 

He  had  lived  among  the  world  where  the 
awaking  of  young  wives,  or  old  wives,  or  any 
woman  who  could  please  man,  was  the  natural 

i8 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


course  of  the  day.  It  never  even  struck  him 
then  it  might  be  a  cruel  thing  to  do.  A  woman 
once  married  was  always  fair  game ;  if  the  hus- 
band could  not  retain  her  affections  that  was 
his  lookout. 

Hector  Bracondale  was  not  a  brute,  just  an 
ordinary  Englishman  of  the  world,  who  had 
lived  and  loved  and  seen  many  lands. 

He  read  Theodora  like  an  open  book:  he 
knew  exactly  why  she  had  talked  about  the 
weather  after  Jean  d'Agreve.  It  thrilled  him 
to  see  her  soft  eyes  dreamy  and  luminous  when 
they  first  spoke  of  the  book,  and  it  flattered 
him  when  she  changed  the  conversation. 

As  for  Theodora,  she  analyzed  nothing,  she 
only  felt  that  perhaps  she  ought  not  to  speak 
about  love  to  one  of  those  people  who  could 
never  be  husbands. 

Captain  Fitzgerald,  meanwhile,  was  making 
tremendous  headway  with  the  widow.  He 
flattered  her  vanity,  he  entertained  her  in- 
telligence, and  he  even  ended  by  letting  her 
see  she  was  causing  him,  personally,  great 
emotion. 

At  last  this  promising  evening  came  to  an 
end.  The  Russian  Prince,  with  his  American 
Princess,  got  up  to  say  good-night,  and  grad- 
ually   the    party    broke    up,    but    not    before 

19 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Captain  Fitzgerald  had  arranged  to  meet  Mrs. 
McBride  at  Doucet's  in  the  morning,  and  give 
her  the  benefit  of  his  taste  and  experience  in  a 
further  shopping  expedition  to  buy  old  bronzes. 

"We  can  all  breakfast  together  at  Henry's," 
he  said,  with  his  grand  manner,  which  included 
the  whole  party;  and  for  one  instant  force  of 
habit  made  Theodora's  heart  sink  with  fear  at 
the  prospect  of  the  bill,  as  it  had  often  had  to  do 
in  olden  days  when  her  father  gave  these  royal 
invitations.  Then  she  remembered  she  had  not 
been  sacrificed  to  Josiah  Brown  for  nothing,  and 
that  even  if  dear,  generous  papa  should  happen 
to  be  a  little  hard  up  again,  a  few  hundred  francs 
would  be  nothing  to  her  to  slip  into  his  hand 
before  starting. 

The  rest  of  the  party,  however,  declined. 
They  were  all  busy  elsewhere,  except  Lord 
Bracondale  and  the  French  Count — they  would 
come,  with  pleasure,  they  said. 

Theodora  wondered  what  Josiah  would  say. 
Would  he  go  ?  and  if  not,  would  he  let  her  go  ? 
This  was  more  important. 

"  Then  we  shall  meet  at  breakfast  to-morrow," 
Lord  Bracondale  said,  as  he  helped  her  on  with 
her  cloak.  "That  will  give  me  something  to 
look  forward  to." 

"Will  it?"  she  said,  and  there  was  trouble  in 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


the  two  blue  stars  which  looked  up  at  him. 
"Perhaps  I  shall  not  be  able  to  come;  my 
husband  is  rather  an  invalid,  and — " 

But  he  interrupted  her. 

"Something  tells  me  you  will  come;  it  is 
fate,"  he  said,  and  his  voice  was  grave  and 
tender. 

And  Theodora,  who  had  never  before  had 
the  opportunity  of  talking  about  destiny,  and 
other  agreeable  subjects,  with  beautiful  Eng- 
lishmen who  could  only  be  —  lovers  —  felt  the 
red  blood  rush  to  her  cheeks  and  a  thrill  flut- 
ter her  heart.  So  she  quickened  her  steps  and 
kept  close  to  her  father,  who  could  have  dis- 
pensed with  this  mark  of  affection. 

"Dearest  child,"  he  said,  when  they  were 
seated  in  the  brougham,  "  you  are  married  now 
and  should  be  able  to  look  after  yourself,  with- 
out staying  glued  to  my  side  so  much  —  it  is 
rather  bourgeois." 

Poor  Theodora  was  crushed  and  did  not  try 
to  excuse  herself. 

"I  am  afraid  Josiah  won't  go,  papa  dear," 
she  said,  timidly;  "and  in  case  he  does  not 
allow  me  to  either,  I  want  you  to  have  these 
few  louis,  just  for  the  breakfast.  I  know  how 
generous  you  are,  and  how  difficult  things  have 
been  made  for  you,  darling."     And  she  nestled 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


to  his  side  and  slipped  about  eight  gold  pieces, 
which  she  had  fortunately  found  in  her  purse, 
into  his  hand. 

Captain  Fitzgerald  was  still  a  gentleman, 
although  a  good  many  edges  of  his  sensitive 
perceptions  had  been  rubbed  off. 

He  kissed  his  daughter  fondly  while  he  mur- 
mured: "Merely  a  loan,  my  pet,  merely  a  loan. 
You  were  always  a  jewel  to  your  old  father!" 

Whenever  her  parent  accused  himself  of  be- 
ing "old,"  Theodora  knew  he  was  deeply 
touched,  and  her  tender  heart  overflowed  with 
gladness  that  she  was  able  to  smooth  the  path 
of  such  a  darling  papa. 

"  I  will  come  and  see  you  in  the  morning, 
my  child,"  he  said,  as  they  stopped  at  the 
door  of  her  hotel,  "and  I  will  manage  Josiah." 

So  Theodora  crept  up  to  her  apartment,  com- 
forted ;  and  in  the  salon  it  was  she  caught  sight 
of  the  Peerage. 

Josiah  Brown  bought  one  every  year  and 
travelled  with  it,  although  until  he  met  the 
Fitzgerald  family  he  had  not  known  a  single 
person  connected  with  it ;  but  it  pleased  him  to 
be  able  to  look  up  his  wife's  nam.e,  and  to  read 
that  her  mother  was  the  daughter  of  a  real 
live  earl  and  her  father  the  brother  of  a  bar- 
onet. 

22 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Hector!  I  like  the  name  of  Hector,"  were 
the  last  coherent  thoughts  which  floated  through 
the  brain  of  Theodora  before  sleep  closed  her 
broad,  white  lids. 

IVIeanwhile,  Lord  Bracondale  had  gone  on  to 
sup  at  the  Cafe  de  Paris,  with  Marion  de 
Beauvoison  and  Esclarmonde  de  Chartres ;  and 
among  the  diamonds  and  pearls  and  scents  and 
feathers  he  suddenly  felt  a  burning  disgust,  and 
a  longing  to  be  out  again  in  the  moonlight — 
alone  with  his  thoughts. 

"Mais  qu'as  tu,  mon  vieux  chou?"  they 
said.  "Ce  bel  Hector  cheri — il  a  un  beguin 
pour  quelqu'un  —  mais  ce  n'est  pas  pour  nous 
autresl" 


Ill 


JosiAH  Brown  cut  the  top  off  his  cruf  h  la 
coqvie  with  a  knife  at  his  premier  dejeuner  next 
day.  The  knife  grated  on  the  shell  in  a  deter- 
mined way,  and  Theodora  felt  her  heart  sink 
at  the  prospect  of  broaching  the  subject  of  the 
breakfast  at  the  Cafe  Henry. 

"  I  am  so  glad  the  rain  has  stopped,"  she  said, 
nervously.  "  It  was  raining  when  I  woke  this 
morning." 

"Indeed,"  replied  Josiah.  "And  what  kind 
of  an  evening  did  you  pass  with  that  father  of 
yours?" 

"A  very  pleasant  one,"  said  Theodora, 
crumbling  her  roll.  "Papa  met  some  old 
friends,  and  we  all  dined  together  at  the  Ritz. 
I  wish  you  had  been  able  to  come,  it  might 
have  done  you  good,  it  was  so  gay!" 

"I  am  not  fit  for  gayety,"  said  her  hus- 
band, peevishly,  scooping  out  spoonfuls  of  yolk. 
"And  who  were  the  party,  pray?" 

Theodora  obediently  enumerated  them  all, 
and    the   high-sounding   title    of   the   Russian 

24 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Prince,  to  say  nothing  of  the  English  lord  and 
lady,  had  a  mollifying  effect  on  Josiah  Brown. 
He  even  remembered  the  name  of  Bracondale 
— had  he  not  been  a  grocer's  assistant  in  the 
small  town  of  Bracondale  for  a  whole  year  in 
his  apprenticeship  da3's? 

"  Papa  wants  us  to  breakfast  to-day  with  him 
at  Henry's  for  you  to  meet  some  of  them," 
Theodora  said,  with  more  confidence. 

Josiah  had  taken  a  second  egg  and  his  frown 
was  gone. 

"We'll  see  about  it,  we'll  see  about  it,"  he 
grunted;  but  his  wdfe  felt  more  hopeful,  and 
was  even  unusually  solicitious  of  his  wants  in 
the  way  of  coffee  and  marmalade  and  cream. 
Josiah  was  shrewd  if  he  did  happen  to  be 
deeply  self-absorbed  in  his  health,  and  he 
noticed  that  Theodora's  eyes  were  brighter 
and  her  step  more  elastic  than  usual. 

He  knew  he  had  bought  "  one  of  them  there 
aristocrats,"  as  his  old  aunt,  who  had  kept  a 
public-house  at  New  Norton,  w-ould  have  said. 
Bought  her  with  solid  gold — he  had  no  illu- 
sions on  this  subject,  and  he  quite  realized 
if  the  solid  gold  had  not  been  amassed  out 
of  England,  so  that  to  her  f amity  he  could  be 
represented  as  "  something  from  the  colonies — 
rather  rough,  but  such  a  good  fellow" — even 

25 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Captain  Fitzgerald's  impecuniosity  and  rapa- 
city would  not  have  risen  to  his  bait. 

He  was  also  grateful  to  Theodora — she  had 
been  so  meek  always,  and  such  a  kind  and 
unselfish  nurse.  Vv^ith  his  impaired  constitu- 
tion and  delicate  chest  he  had  given  up  all 
hopes  of  looking  on  her  as  a  wife  again,  just 
yet;  but,  as  a  nurse  and  an  ornament — -a  peg 
to  hang  the  evidences  of  his  wealth  upon — she 
was  little  short  of  perfection.  He  could  have 
been  frantically  in  love  with  her  if  she  had 
only  been  the  girl  from  the  station  bar  in  Mel- 
bourne.   Josiah  Brown  was  not  a  bad  fellow. 

By  the  time  Mr.  Toplington  advanced  in  his 
dignified  way  with  the  accurately  measured 
tonic  on  a  silver  tray  and  the  single  acid  drop 
to  remove  the  taste,  Josiah  Brown  had  decided 
to  go  and  partake  food  with  his  father-in-law 
at  Henry's.  If  he  had  been  good  enough  to 
entertain  the  Governor  of  Australia,  he  was 
quite  good  enough  for  Russian  princes  or  Eng- 
lish lords,  he  told  himself.  Thus  it  was  that 
Captain  Fitzgerald,  who  came  in  person  in  a 
few  minutes  to  indorse  his  invitation,  found 
an  unusually  cordial  reception  awaiting  him. 

"I  am  too  delighted,  my  dear  Josiah,"  he 
said,  "that  you  have  decided  to  come  out  of 
your  shell.     Moping  would  kill  a  cat;    and  I 

26 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


shall  order  you  the  plainest  chicken  and  souffle 
aux  f raises." 

"Josiah  can  eat  almost  anything,  papa.  I 
don't  think  you  need  worry  about  that,"  said 
Theodora,  who  hoped  to  make  her  husband 
enjoy  himself.  And  then  Captain  Fitzgerald 
left  to  meet  his  widow. 

All  the  morning,  while  she  walked  up  and 
down  under  the  trees  in  the  Avenue  du  Bois 
beside  her  husband,  who  leaned  upon  her  arm, 
Theodora's  thoughts  were  miles  aw^ay.  She 
felt  stimulated,  excited,  intensely  interested  in 
the  hour,  afraid  they  would  be  late.  Twice  she 
answered  at  random,  and  Josiah  got  quite 
cross. 

"I  asked  you  which  you  considered  would 
do  me  most  good  when  we  return  to  England, 
to  continue  seeing  Sir  Baldwin  once  a  week  or 
to  have  Dr.  Wilton  permanently  in  the  house 
with  us,  and  you  answer  that  you  quite  agree 
Avith  me !  Agree  with  what  ?  Agree  with  which  ? 
You  are  talking  nonsense,  girl!" 

Theodora  apologized  gently,  and  her  white 
velvet  cheeks  became  tinged  with  wild  roses. 
It  seemed  as  if  the  victoria,  with  its  high-step- 
pers, would  never  come  and  pick  them  up; 
and  it  must  be  at  least  quarter  of  an  hour's 
drive    to    Henry's.     She    did    not   understand 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


where  it  was  exactly,  but  papa  had  said  the 
coachman  would  know. 

If  some  one  had  told  her,  as  Clementine  cer- 
tainly would  have  done  had  she  been  there, 
that  she  was  simply  thus  interested  and  excited 
because  she  wished  to  see  again  Lord  Bracon- 
dale,  she  would  have  been  horrified.  She  never 
had  analyzed  sensations  herself,  and  the  day 
had  not  yet  arrived  when  she  would  begin  to 
do  so.  ( 

At  last  they  were  rolling  down  the  Champs- 
Elysees.  The  mass  of  chestnut  blooms  in  full 
glory,  the  tender  green  still  fresh  and  spring- 
like, the  sky  as  blue  as  blue,  and  every  creat- 
ure in  the  street  with  an  air  of  gayety — that 
Paris  alone  seems  to  inspire  in  the  human  race. 
It  entered  into  her  blood,  this  rush  of  spring  and 
hope  and  laughter  and  life,  and  a  radiant  creat- 
ure got  out  of  the  carriage  at  Henry's  door. 

The  two  men  were  waiting  for  them — Lord 
Bracondale  and  the  French  Count — her  father 
and  Mrs.  McBride  had  not  yet  appeared. 

Theodora  introduced  them  to  her  husband, 
and  Lord  Bracondale  said : 

"Mrs.  McBride  is  always  late.  I  have  found 
out  which  is  your  father's  table;  don't  you 
think  we  might  go  and  sit  down?" 

And  they  did.  Theodora  got  well  into  the 
28 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


comer  of  the  velvet  sofa,  the  Count  on  one  side 
and  Lord  Bracondale  on  the  other,  with  Josiah 
beyond  the  Count. 

They  made  conversation.  The  Frenchman 
was  voluble  and  agreeable,  and  the  next  ten 
minutes  passed  without  incident. 

Josiah,  not  quite  at  ease,  perhaps,  but  on  the 
whole  not  ill-pleased  with  his  situation.  The 
Count  took  all  ups  and  downs  as  of  the  day's 
work,  sure  of  a  good  breakfast,  sooner  or  later, 
unpaid  for  by  himself.  And  Lord  Bracondale's 
thoughts  ran  somewhat  thus: 

"  She  is  even  more  beautiful  in  daylight  than 
at  night.  She  can't  be  more  than  twenty — 
what  a  skin!  like  a  white  gardenia  petal — and, 
good  Lord,  what  a  husband!  How  revolting, 
how  infamous!  I  suppose  that  old  schemer, 
her  father,  sold  her  to  him.  Her  eyes  remind 
one  of  forgotten  fairy  tales  of  angels.  Can 
anything  be  so  sweet  as  that  little  nose  and 
those  baby-red  lips.  She  has  a  soul,  too,  peep- 
ing out  of  the  blue  when  she  looks  up  at  one. 
She  reminds  me  of  Praxiteles'  Psyche  when  she 
looks  down.  Why  did  I  not  meet  her  long 
ago?  I  believe  I  ought  not  to  stay  now  — 
something  tells  me  I  shall  fall  deeply  into  this. 
And  what  a  voice! — as  gentle  and  caressing  as 
a  tender  dove.     A  man  would  give  his  soul  for 

29 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


such  a  woman.  As  guileless  as  an  infant  saint, 
too — and  sensitive  and  human  and  understand- 
ing. I  wish  to  God  I  had  the  strength  of  mind 
to  get  up  and  go  this  minute — but  I  haven't — ■ 
it  is  fate." 

"Oh,  how  naughty  of  papa,"  said  Theodora, 
"to  be  so  late!  Are  you  very  himgry,  Josiah.? 
Shall  we  begin  without  them?" 

But  at  that  moment,  with  rustling  silks  and 
delicate  perfimie,  the  widow  and  Captain  Fitz- 
gerald came  in  at  the  door  and  joined  the 
party. 

"I  am  just  too  sorry,"  the  lady  said,  gayly. 
"  It  is  all  Captain  Fitzgerald's  fault — he  would 
try  to  restrain  me  from  buying  what  I  wanted, 
and  so  it  made  me  obstinate  and  I  had  to  stay 
right  there  and  order  half  the  shop." 

"How  I  understand  you!"  sympathized  Lord 
Bracondale.  "  I  know  just  that  feeling  of  want- 
ing forbidden  fruit.     It  makes  the  zest  of  life." 

He  had  foreseen  the  disposition  of  the  party, 
and  by  sitting  in  the  outside  comer  seat  at  the 
end  knew  he  would  have  Theodora  almost  en 
tcte-a-tcte,  once  they  were  all  seated  along  the 
velvet  sofa  beyond  Josiah  Brown. 

"  What  do  you  do  with  yourself  all  the  time 
here?"  he  asked,  lowering  his  voice  to  that  deep 
note  which  only  carries  to  the  ear  it  is  intended 

30 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


for.     "  May  one  ever  see  you  again  except  at  a 
chance  meal  like  this?" 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Theodora.  "  I  walk  up 
and  down  in  the  side  allees  of  the  Bois  in  the 
morning  with  my  husband,  and  when  he  has 
had  his  sleep,  after  dejeuner,  we  drive  nearly 
all  the  afternoon,  and  we  have  tea  at  the  Pre 
Catalan  and  drive  again  until  about  seven, 
and  then  we  come  in  and  dine,  and  I  go  to  bed 
very  early.  Josiah  is  not  strong  enough  yet 
for  late  hours  or  theatres." 

"It  soimds  supernaturally  gay  for  Paris!" 
said  Lord  Bracondale;  and  then  he  felt  a  brute 
when  he  saw  the  cloud  in  the  blue  eyes. 

"No,  it  is  not  gay,"  she  said,  simply.  "  But 
the  flowers  are  beautiful,  and  the  green  trees 
and  the  chestnut  blossoms  and  the  fine  air 
here,  and  there  is  a  little  stream  among  the 
trees  which  laughs  to  itself  as  it  runs,  and  all 
these  things  say  something  to  me." 

He  felt  rebuked— rebuked  and  interested. 

"I  would  like  to  see  them  all  with  you,"  he 
said. 

That  was  one  of  his  charms  — directness. 
He  did  not  insinuate  often ;  he  stated  facts. 

"You  would  find  it  all  much  too  monoto- 
nous," she  answered.  "You  would  tire  of 
them  after  the  first   time.     And  you  could  if 

31 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


you  liked,  too,  because  I  suppose  you  are  free, 
being  a  man,  and  can  choose  your  own  life," 
and  she  sighed  unconsciously. 

And  there  came  to  Hector  Bracondale  the 
picture  of  her  life  —  sacrificed,  no  doubt,  to 
others'  needs.  He  seemed  to  see  the  long 
years  tied  to  Josiah  Brown,  the  cramping  of 
her  soul,  the  dreary  desolation  of  it.  Then  a 
tenderness  came  over  him,  a  chivalrous  ten- 
derness iHifelt  by  him  towards  women  now  for 
many  a  long  day. 

"I  wonder  if  I  can  choose  my  life,"  he  said, 
and  he  looked  into  her  eyes. 

"Why  can  you  not?"  She  hesitated.  "And 
may  I  ask  you,  too,  what  you  do  with  your- 
self here?" 

He  evaded  the  question;  he  suddenly  real- 
ized that  his  days  were  not  mor'^  amusing 
than  hers,  although  they  were  filled  up  with 
racing  and  varied  employments  —  while  the 
thought  of  his  nights  sickened  him. 

"  I  think  I  am  going  to  make  an  immense 
change  and  learn  to  take  pleasure  in  the  run- 
ning brooks,"  he  said.     "Will  you  help  me?" 

"I  know  so  little,  and  you  know  so  much," 
and  her  sweet  eyes  became  soft  and  dreamy. 
"I  could  not  help  you  in  any  way,  I  fear." 

"Yes,  you  could — you  could  teach  me  to  see 
32 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


all  things  with  fresh  eyes.  You  could  open  the 
door  into  a  new  world." 

"Do  you  know,"  she  said,  irrelevantly, 
"Sarah — my  eldest  sister — Sarah  told  me  it 
was  unwise  ever  to  talk  to  strangers  except  in 
the  abstract — and  here  are  you  and  I  con- 
versing about  our  own  interests  and  feelings 
— are  not  we  foolish!"  She  laughed  a  little 
nervously. 

"No,  we  are  not  foolish  because  we  are  not 
strangers — ^we  never  were — and  we  never  wHl 
be." 

"Are  not  strangers — ?" 

"  No — do  you  not  feel  that  sometimes  in  life 
one's  friendships  begin  by  antipathy  —  some- 
times by  indifference — and  sometimes  by  that 
sudden  magnetism  of  sympathy  as  if  in  some 
former  life  we  had  been  very  near  and  dear, 
and  were  only  picking  up  the  threads  again,  and 
to  such  two  souls  there  is  no  feeling  that  they 
are  strangers." 

Theodora  was  too  entirely  unsophisticated  to 
remain  unmoved  by  this  reasoning.  She  felt  a 
little  thrill — she  longed  to  continue  the  subject, 
and  yet  dared  not.  She  turned  hesitatingly  to 
the  Count,  and  for  the  next  ten  minutes  Lord 
Bracondale  only  saw  the  soft  outline  of  her 
cheek. 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


He  wondered  if  he  had  been  too  sudden. 
She  was  quite  the  youngest  person  he  had  ever 
met — he  realized  that,  and  perhaps  he  had 
acted  with  too  much  precipitation.  He  would 
change  his  tactics. 

The  Count  was  only  too  pleased  to  engage  the 
attention  of  Theodora.  He  was  voluble;  she 
had  very  little  to  reply.  Things  went  smooth- 
ly. Josiah  was  appreciating  an  exceedingly 
good  brealcfast,  and  the  playful  sallies  of  the 
fair  widow.     All,  in  fact,  was  couleiir  de  rose. 

"Won't  you  talk  to  me  any  more?"  Lord 
Bracondale  said,  after  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  He  felt  that  was  ample  time  for  her  to 
have  become  calm,  and,  beautiful  as  the  out- 
line of  her  cheek  was,  he  preferred  her  full 
face. 

"But  of  course,"  said  Theodora.  She  had 
not  heard  more  than  half  what  the  Count  had 
been  saying ;  she  wished  vaguely  that  she  might 
continue  the  subject  of  friendship,  but  she 
dared  not. 

"Do  you  ever  go  to  Versailles?"  he  asked. 
This,  at  least,  was  a  safe  subject. 

"  I  have  been  there — ^but  not  since — not  this 
time, "  she  answered.  "  I  loved  it :  so  full  of  mem- 
ories and  sentiment,  and  Old-World  charm." 

"It  would  give  me  much  pleasure  to  take 
34 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


you  to  see  it  again,"  he  said,  with  grave  polite- 
ness. "  I  must  devise  some  plan — that  is,  if 
you  wish  to  go." 

She  smiiled. 

"It  is  a  favorite  spot  of  mine,  and  there  are 
some  allees  in  the  park  more  full  of  the  story  of 
spring  than  your  Bois  even." 

"I  do  not  see  how  we  can  go,"  said  Theo- 
dora.    "  Josiah  would  find  it  too  long  a  day." 

"  I  must  discuss  it  with  3^our  father;  one  can 
generally  arrange  what  one  wishes,"  said  Lord 
Bracondale. 

At  this  moment  Mrs.  McBride  leaned  over 
and  spoke  to  Theodora.  She  had,  she  said, 
quite  converted  ]\Ir.  Brown.  He  only  wanted 
a  little  cheering  up  to  be  perfectly  well,  and 
she  had  got  him  to  promise  to  dine  that  even- 
ing at  Armenonville  and  listen  to  the  Tziganes. 
It  was  going  to  be  a  glorious  night,  but  if  they 
felt  cold  they  could  have  their  table  inside  out 
of  the  draught.  What  did  Theodora  think 
about  it  ? 

Theodora  thought  it  would  be  a  delicious 
plan.     What  else  could  she  think  ? 

"  I  have  a  large  party  coming,"  Mrs.  McBride 
said,  "and  among  them  a  compatriot  of  mine 
who  saw  you  last  night  and  is  dying  to  meet 

you." 

35 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Really,"  said  Theodora,  unmoved. 

Lord  Bracondale  experienced  a  sensation  of 
annoyance. 

"  I  shall  not  ask  you,  Bracondale,"  the  widow 
continued,  playfully.  "Just  to  assert  British 
superiority,  3^ou  would  try  to  monopolize  Mrs. 
Brown,  and  my  poor  Herryman  Hoggenwater 
would  have  to  come  in  a  long,  long  second!" 

Josiah  felt  a  rush  of  pride.  This  brilliant 
woman  was  making  much  of  his  meek  little 
wife. 

Lord  Bracondale  smiled  the  most  genial 
smile,  with  rage  in  his  heart. 

"  I  could  not  have  accepted  in  any  case, 
dear  lady,"  he  said,  "as  I  have  some  people 
dining  with  me,  and,  oddly  enough,  they  rather 
suggested  they  wanted  Armenonville  too,  so 
perhaps  I  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  looking  at 
you  from  the  distance." 

The  conversation  then  became  general,  and 
soon  after  this  coffee  arrived,  and  eventually 
the  adieux  were  said. 

Mrs.  McBride  insisted  upon  Theodora  accom- 
panying her  in  her  smart  automobile. 

"You  leave  your  wife  to  me  for  an  hour," 
she  said,  imperiously,  to  Josiah,  "and  go  and 
see  the  world  with  Captain  Fitzgerald.  He 
knows  Paris," 

36 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"My  dear,  you  are  just  the  sweetest  thing  I 
have  come  across  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,"  she 
said,  when  they  were  whizzing  along  in  her  car. 
"  But  you  look  as  if  you  wanted  cheering  too. 
I  expect  your  husband's  illness  has  worried  you 
a  good  deal." 

Theodora  froze  a  little.  Then  she  glanced  at 
the  widow's  face  and  its  honest  kindliness  melt- 
ed her. 

"Yes,  I  have  been  anxious  about  him,"  she 
said,  simply,  "but  he  is  nearly  well  now,  and 
we  shall  soon  be  going  to  England." 

Mrs.  McBride  had  not  taken  a  companion  on 
this  drive  for  nothing,  and  she  obtained  all  the 
information  she  wanted  during  their  tour  in  the 
Bois.  How  Josiah  Brown  had  bought  a  colos- 
sal place  in  the  eastern  counties,  and  intended 
to  have  parties  and  shoot  there  in  the  autimm. 
How  Theodora  hoped  to  see  more  of  her  sisters 
than  she  had  done  since  her  marriage.  The 
question  of  these  sisters  interested  Mrs.  Mc- 
Bride a  good  deal. 

For  a  man  to  have  two  unmarried  daughters 
was  rather  an  undertaking. 

What  were  their  ages  — their  habits— their 
ambitions?  Theodora  told  her  simply.  She 
guessed  why  she  was  being  interrogated.  She 
wished  to  assist  her  father,   and  to  say  the 

37 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


truth  seemed  to  her  the  best  way.  Sarah  was 
kind  and  htimorous,  while  Clementine  had  the 
brains. 

"And  they  are  both  dears,"  she  said,  lov- 
ingly, "and  have  always  been  so  good  to 
me." 

Mrs.  Mc Bride  was  a  shrewd  woman,  full  of 
x\merican  quickness,  lightning  deduction,  and  a 
phenomenal  insight  into  character.  Theodora 
seemed  to  her  to  be  too  tender  a  flower  for  this 
world  of  east  wind.  She  felt  sure  she  only 
thought  good  of  every  one,  and  how  could  one 
get  on  in  life  if  one  took  that  view  habitually! 
The  appallingly  hard  knocks  fate  would  give 
one  if  one  was  so  trusting!  But  as  the  drive 
went  on  that  gentle  something  that  seemed  to 
emanate  from  Theodora,  the  something  of  pure 
sweetness  and  light,  affected  her,  too,  as  it 
affected  other  people.  She  felt  she  was  looking 
into  a  deep  pool  of  crystal  water,  so  deep  that 
she  could  see  no  bottom  or  fathom  the  distance 
of  it,  but  which  reflected  in  brilliant  blue  God's 
sky  and  the  sun, 

"And  she  is  by  no  means  stupid,"  the  widow 
summed  up  to  herself.  "Her  mind  is  as 
bright  as  an  American's!  And  she  is  just  too 
pretty  and  sweet  to  be  eaten  up  by  these 
wolves  of  men  she  will  meet  in  England,  with 

38 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


that  unromantic,  unattractive  husband  along. 
I  must  do  what  I  can  for  her." 

By  the  time  she  had  dropped  Theodora  at 
her  hotel  the  situation  was  quite  clear.  Of 
course  the  girl  had  been  sacrificed  to  Josiah 
Brown;  she  was  sound  asleep  in  the  great 
forces  of  life;  she  was  bound  to  be  hideously 
unhappy,  and  it  was  all  an  abominable  shame, 
and  ought  to  have  been  prevented. 

But  Mrs.  McBride  never  cried  over  spilled 
milk. 

"If  I  decide  to  marry  her  father,"  she 
thought,  as  she  drove  off,  "  I  shall  keep  my 
eye  on  her,  and  meanw^hile  I  can  make  her 
life  smile  a  little  perhaps!" 


IV 


Theodora  did  not  wonder  why  she  felt  in  no 
exalted  state  of  spirits  as  she  dressed  for  din- 
ner. She  seldom  thought  of  herself  at  all,  or 
what  her  emotions  were,  but  the  fact  remained 
there  was  none  of  the  excitement  there  had 
been  over  the  prospect  of  breakfast.  Her  hus- 
band, on  the  contrary,  seemed  quite  fussy. 

"A  devilish  fine  woman,"  he  had  described 
Mrs.  McBride.  "Acts  like  a  tonic  upon  me; 
does  me  more  good  than  a  pint  of  champagne!" 

"Is  she  not  delightful?"  agreed  Theodora; 
"  so  very  kind  and  gay.  I  am  sure  the  dinner 
will  do  you  good,  Josiah,  and  perhaps  we  might 
give  one  in  return.     What  do  you  say?" 

Josiah  said,  "Certainly!"  He  could  give  a 
meal  with  the  best  of  them !  They  would  con- 
sult that  father  of  her's,  who  knew  Paris  so 
well,  and  ask  him  to  help  them  to  arrange  a 
regular  "slap-up  treat." 

And  so  they  arrived  at  Armenonville.  It 
was  a  divine  night,  quite  warm,  and  a  soft 
three-quarter  moon. 

40 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Mrs.  ]\IcBride  had  everything  arranged  to 
perfection.  Their  table  was  just  where  it 
sould  be,  the  menu  was  all  that  heart  of 
gourmet  could  desire,  and  the  company  spar- 
kling. 

Theodora  found  herself  seated  beside  ]\Ir. 
Harryman  Hoggenwater  and  an  elderly  Aus- 
trian, and  before  the  hors  d'ceiivres  were  cleared 
away  both  gentlemen  had  decided  to  make 
love  to  her. 

It  was  when  the  bisque  d'ecrevisses  was  being 
handed  she  became  conscious  that,  not  two 
tables  off,  there  was  an  empty  one  simply 
arranged  with  flowers,  and  almost  at  the  same 
instant  Lord  Bracondale  and  his  party  arrived 
upon  the  scene. 

All  Theodora's  perceptions  seemed  to  be 
sharpened.  She  knew  without  turning  her 
head  the  table  was  for  them,  and  that  they 
were  advancing  towards  it.  She  had  felt  their 
arrival  almost  before  their  automobile  stopped ; 
and  now  she  would  not  look  up. 

A  strange  sensation,,  as  of  excitement,  tingled 
through  her.  She  longed  to  ascertain  if  the 
woman  was  good-looking  who  made  the  third 
in  this'  party  of  three.  She  peeped  eventually 
— ^with  the  corner  of  her  eye.  Lord  Bracon- 
dale had  so  placed  his  guests  that  he  himself 

41 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


faced  Theodora,  and  the  lady  had  her  back 
turned  to  her. 

Thus  Theodora's  curiosity  could  not  be  grat- 
ified. 

"She  is  English,"  she  decided;  "that  round 
shaped  back  always  is  —  and  very  well-bred 
looking,  and  not  much  taste  in  dress.  I  won- 
der if  she  is  old  or  young — and  if  that  is  the 
husband.  Yes,  he  is  unattractive — it  must  be 
the  husband — and  oh,  I  wonder  what  they  are 
talking  about!  Lord  Bracondale  seems  so  in- 
interested  1" 

And  if  she  had  known  it  was — • 

"Really,  Monica,  how  fortunate  to  have 
secured  you  at  short  notice  like  this,"  Lord 
Bracondale  was  saying.  "  I  only  found  I  had 
a  free  evening  at  breakfast,  and  I  met  Jack  on 
my  way  to  the  polo-ground  just  in  the  nick  of 
time." 

"We  love  coming,"  Mrs.  Ellerwood  replied. 
"For  tmsophisticated  English  people  it  is  a 
great  treat.  We  go  back  on  Saturday — every 
one  will  be  asking  what  is  keeping  you  here  so 
long." 

"  My  plans  are  vague,"  Lord  Bracondale  said, 
casually.  "I  might  come  back  any  day,  or  I 
may  stay  until  well  into  June — it  quite  depends 
upon  how  amused  I  am.     I  rather  love  Paris." 

42 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


And  to  himself  he  was  thinking — 

"How  I  wish  that  atrocious  woman  over 
there  with  the  paradise  plume  would  keep  her 
hat  out  of  the  way.  Ah,  that  is  better!  How 
lovely  she  looks  to-night!  What  an  exquisite 
pose  of  head!  And  what  are  those  two  damned 
foreigners  saying  to  her,  I  wonder.  Underbred 
brute,  the  American,  Herryman  Hoggenwater! 
What  a  name!  She  is  laughing— she  evidently 
finds  him  amusing.  Abominably  cattish  of  the 
widow  not  to  ask  me.  I  wonder  if  she  has  seen 
me  yet.  I  want  to  make  her  bow  to  me.  Ah !' ' 
For  just  then  magnetism  was  too  strong  for 
Theodora,  and,  in  spite  of  her  determination, 
their  eyes  met. 

A  thrill,  little  short  of  passion,  ran  through 
Lord  Bracondale  as  he  saw  the  wild  roses 
flushing  her  white  cheeks — the  exquisite  flat- 
tery to  his  vanity.  Yes,  she  had  seen  him, 
and  it  already  meant  something  to  her. 

He  raised  his  champagne-glass  and  sipped  a 
sip,  while  his  eyes,  more  ardent  than  they  had 
ever  been,  sought  her  face. 

And  Theodora,  for  her  part,  felt  a  flutter  too. 
She  was  angry  with  herself  for  blushing,  such 
a  school-girlish  thing  to  do,  Sarah  had  always 
told  her.  She  hoped  he  had  not  noticed  it  at 
that  distance — probably  not.     And  what  did  he 

43 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


mean  by  drinking  her  health  like  that?  He — 
oh,  he  was — 

"Now,  truly,  Mrs,  Brown,  you  are  cruel," 
Mr.  Herryman  Hoggenwater  said,  pathetically, 
interrupting  her  thoughts.  "  I  tell  you  I  am 
simply  longing  to  know  if  you  will  come  for  a 
drive  in  my  automobile,  and  you  do  not  answer, 
but  stare  into  space." 

Theodora  turned,  and  then  the  young  Amer- 
ican understood  that  for  all  her  gentle  looks 
it  would  be  wiser  not  to  take  this  tone  with  her. 

He  admired  her  frantically,  he  was  just 
"crazy"  about  her,  he  told  Mrs.  McBride 
later.  And  so  now  he  exerted  himself  to 
please  and  amuse  her  with  all  the  vivacity  of 
his  brilliant  nation. 

Theodora  was  enjoying  herself.  Environ- 
ment and  atmosphere  affected  her  strongly. 
The  bright  pink  lights,  the  sense  of  night  and 
the  soft  moon  beyond  the  wide-open  balcony 
windows,  the  scents  of  flowers,  the  ga^^ety, 
and,  above  all,  the  knowledge  that  Lord  Bracon- 
dale  was  there,  gazing  at  her  whenever  oppor- 
tunity offered,  with  eyes  in  which  she,  un- 
learned as  she  was  in  such  things,  could  read 
plainly  admiration  and  unrest. 

It  all  went  to  her  head  a  little,  and  she  be- 
came quite  animated  and  full  of  repartee  and 

44 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


sparkle,  so  that  Josiah  Brown  could  hardly 
believe  his  eyes  and  ears  when  he  glanced 
across  at  her.     This  his  meek  and  quiet  mouse  1 

His  heart  swelled  with  pride  when  Mrs. 
McBride  leaned  over  and  said  to  him: 

"You  know,  Mr.  Brown,  you  have  got  the 
most  beautiful  wife  in  the  world,  and  I  hope 
you  value  her  properly." 

It  was  this  daring  quality  in  his  hostess 
Josiah  appreciated  so  much.  "  She's  not  afraid 
to  say  anything,  'pon  my  soul,"  he  said  to  him- 
self. "  I  rather  think  I  know  my  own  posses- 
sion's value!"  he  answered  aloud,  with  a  pom- 
pous puffing  out  of  chest,  and  a  cough  to  clear 
the  throat. 

The  Austrian  Prince  on  Theodora's  right 
hand  pleased  her.  He  had  a  quiet  manner, 
and  the  freemasonry  of  breeding  in  two  people, 
even  of  different  nations,  drew  her  to  talk 
naturally  to  him  in  a  friendly  way. 

He  was  a  fatalist,  he  told  her;  what  would 
be  would  be,  and  mortals  like  himself  and  herself 
were  just  scattered  leaves,  like  barks  floating 
down  a  current  where  were  mostly  rocks  ahead. 

"  Then  must  we  strike  the  rocks  whether  we 
wish  it  or  no?"  asked  Theodora.  "Cannot  we 
help  ourselves?" 

"Ah,  madame,  for  that,"  he  said,  "we  can 

4  45 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


strive  a  little  and  avoid  this  one  and  that,  but  if  it 
is  our  fate  we  will  crash  against  them  in  the  end . ' ' 

"What  a  sad  philosophy!"  said  Theodora. 
"I  would  rather  believe  that  if  one  does  one's 
best  some  kind  angel  will  guide  one's  bark  past 
the  rocks  and  safely  into  the  smooth  waters  of 
the  pool  beyond." 

"You  are  young,"  he  said,  "and  I  hope  you 
will  find  it  so,  but  I  fear  you  will  have  to  try 
very  hard,  and  circumstances  may  even  then 
be  too  strong  for  you." 

"In  that  case  I  must  go  under  altogether," 
said  Theodora;  but  her  eyes  smiled,  and  that 
night  at  least  such  a  possibility  seemed  far 
enough  away  from  her. 

The  Austrian  looked  across  at  her  husband. 
Such  marriages  were  rare  in  his  country,  and 
he  had  thought  so  too  in  England.  He  won- 
dered what  their  story  could  be.  He  wondered 
how  soon  she  would  take  a  lover — and  he  re- 
alized how  infinitely  worth  while  that  lover 
would  find  his  situation. 

He  wished  he  were  not  so  old.  If  she  must 
break  up  her  bark  on  the  rocks,  he  could 
take  the  place  of  steersman  with  pleasure. 
But  he  was  a  courteous  gentleman  and  he  said 
none  of  these  things  aloud. 

Meanwhile,  Lord  Bracondale  was  not  enjoy- 
46 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ing  his  dinner.  For  the  first  time  for  several 
years  he  found  himself  jealous!  He,  unlike 
Theodora,  knew  the  meaning  of  every  one  of 
his  sensations. 

"  She  is  certainly  interested  in  Prince  Carol- 
stein,"  he  thought,  as  he  watched  her;  "he  has 
a  European  reputation  for  fascination.  She  has 
not  looked  this  way  once  since  the  entrees.  I 
wish  I  could  hear  what  they  are  talking  about. 
As  for  that  young  puppy  Hoggenwater,  I  would 
like  to  kick  him  round  the  room!  Lord,  look 
how  he  is  leaning  over  her!  It  sickens  me! 
The  young  fool!" 

Mrs.  Ellerwood  turned  roimd  in  her  seat  and 
surveyed  the  room.  They  had  almost  come  to 
the  end  of  dinner,  and  could  move  their  chairs 
a  little.  She  had  the  true  Englishwoman's 
feeling  when  among  foreigners — that  they  were 
all  there  as  puppets  for  her  entertainment. 

"Look,  Hector,"  she  said — they  were  cousins 
— "did  you  ever  see  such  a  lovely  woman  as 
that  one  over  there  among  the  large  party,  in 
the  black  chiilon  dress?" 

Then  Hector  committed  a  hcHse. 

"Where?"  said  he,  his  eyes  persistently  fixed 
in  another  direction. 

"There;  you  can't  mistake  her,  she  looks  so 
pure  white,  and  fair,  among  all  these  French- 

47 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


women.  The  one  with  the  blue  eyes  and  the 
lovely  hat  with  those  sweeping  feathers.  She 
is  exquisitely  dressed,  and  both  those  men  look 
fearfully  devoted  to  her.  Can't  you  see.?  Oh, 
you  are  stupid!" 

"  My  dear  Monica,"  said  Jack  Ellerwood,  who 
joined  rarely  in  the  conversation,  "  Hector  has 
been  sitting  facing  this  way  all  through  dinner. 
He  is  a  man  who  can  appreciate  what  he  sees, 
and  I  do  not  fancy  has  missed  much — have  you, 
Hector?"  and  he  smiled  a  quiet  smile, 

Mrs,  Ellerwood  looked  at  Lord  Bracondale 
and  laughed. 

"It  is  I  who  am  stupid,"  she  said,  "Natu- 
rally you  have  seen  her  all  the  time,  and  know 
her  probably.  Are  they  cocottes,  or  Ameri- 
cans, or  Russian  princesses,  or  what? — the 
whole  collection?" 

"  If  you  mean  that  large  party  in  the  comer, 
they  are  most  of  them  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances of  mine,"  he  said,  rather  icily — she  had 
annoyed  him  —  "and  they  belong  to  the  aris- 
tocracies of  various  nations.  Does  that  satisfy 
you  ?  I  am  afraid  they  are  none  of  them  demi- 
mondaines,  so  you  will  be  disappointed  this 
time!" 

Mrs.  Ellerwood  looked  at  him;  she  under- 
stood now. 

48 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"He  is  in  love  with  the  white  woman,"  she 
thought;  "that  is  why  he  was  so  anxious  to 
dine  here  to-night,  when  Jack  suggested  Ma- 
drid ;  that  is  why  he  stays  in  Paris.  It  is  not 
Esclarmonde  de  Chartres  after  all!  How  ex- 
cited Aunt  Milly  will  be!  I  must  find  out  her 
name." 

"  She  is  a  beautiful  creature,"  said  Jack  Eller- 
wood,  as  if  to  himself,  while  he  carefully  sur- 
veyed Theodora  from  his  position  at  the  side  of 
the  table. 

Hector  Bracondale's  irritation  rose.  Rela- 
tions were  tactless,  and  he  felt  sorry  he  had 
asked  them. 

"You  must  tell  me  her  name.  Hector," 
pleaded  Mrs.  Ellerwood ;  "  the  very  w^hite, 
pretty  one  I  mean." 

"Now  just  to  punish  your  curiosity  I  shall 
do  no  such  thing." 

"Hector,  you  are  a  pig." 

"Probably." 

"And  so  selfish." 

"Possibly." 

"  Why  mayn't  I  know  ?  You  set  a  light  to  all 
sorts  of  suspicions." 

"Doubly  interesting  for  you,  then." 

"  Provoking  wretch ! "  . 

"Don't  you  think  you  would  like  some  cof- 
49 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


fee?  The  waiter  is  trying  to  hand  you  a 
cup." 

Mrs.  Ellerwood  laughed.  She  knew  there 
was  no  use  teasing  him  further ;  but  there  were 
other  means,  and  she  must  employ  them. 
Theodora  had  become  the  pivot  upon  which 
some  of  her  world  might  turn. 

The  object  of  this  solicitude  was  quite  uncon- 
scious of  the  interest  she  had  created.  She  did 
not  naturally  think  she  could  be  of  importance 
to  any  one.  Had  she  not  been  the  youngest 
and  snubbed  always? 

The  same  thought  came  to  her  that  was  con- 
juring the  brain  of  Lord  Bracondale:  would 
there  be  a  chance  to  speak  to-night,  or  must 
they  each  go  their  way  in  silence?  He  meant 
to  assist  fate  if  he  could,  but  having  Monica 
Ellerwood  there  was  a  considerable  drawback. 

Mrs.  McBride's  party  were  to  take  their 
coffee  in  one  of  the  bosquets  outside,  and  all  got 
up  from  their  table  in  a  few  minutes  to  go  out. 
They  would  have  to  pass  the  partie  a  trots,  who 
were  nearer  the  door.  Monica  would  take  her 
most  searching  look  at  them,  Lord  Bracondale 
thought;  now  was  the  time  for  action.  So  as 
Mrs.  McBride  came  past  with  Captain  Fitz- 
gerald, he  rose  from  his  seat  and  greeted  her. 

"You  have  been  exceedingly  mean,"  he  whis- 
5° 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


pered.  "  What  are  you  going  to  do  for  me  to 
make  up  for  it?" 

The  widow  had  a  very  soft  spot  in  her  heart 
for  "C^  hcau  Bracondale,"  as  she  called  him, 
and  when  he  pleaded  like  that  she  found  him 
hard  to  resist. 

"  Come  and  see  me  to-morrow  at  twelve,  and 
we  will  talk  about  it,"  she  said. 

" To-morrow  1"  exclaimed  Lord  Bracondale; 
"but  I  want  to  talk  to  her  to-night  I" 

"Get  rid  of  your  party,  then,  and  join  us  for 
coffee,"  and  the  widow  smiled  archly  as  she 
passed  on. 

Theodora  bowed  with  grave  sweetness  as  she 
also  went  by,  and  most  of  the  others  greeted 
Hector,  while  one  woman  stopped  and  told  him 
she  was  going  to  have  an  automobile  party  in  a 
day  or  two,  and  she  hoped  he  would  come. 

When  they  had  all  gone  on  Mrs.  EUerwood 
said: 

"I  wonder  why  Americans  are  so  much 
smarter  than  we  poor  English?  I  can't  bear 
them  as  a  nation  though,  can  you?" 

"Yes,"  said  Lord  Bracondale.  "  I  think  the 
best  friends  I  have  in  the  world  are  American. 
The  women  particularly  are  perfectly  charm- 
ing. You  feel  all  the  time  3^ou  are  playing  a 
game  with  really  experienced  adversaries,  and 

51 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


it  makes  it  interesting.  They  are  full  of  re- 
source, and  you  know  underneath  you  could 
never  break  their  hearts.  I  am  not  sure  if 
they  have  any  in  their  own  country,  but  if  so 
they  turn  into  the  most  v/onderful  and  exqui- 
site bits  of  mechanism  when  they  come  to 
Europe." 

"And  you  admire  that." 

"Certainly — hearts  are  a  great  bore." 

"You  were  always  a  cynic,  Hector;  that  is 
perhaps  what  makes  you  so  attractive." 

"Am  I  attractive?" 

"I  can't  judge/'  said  Mrs.  Ellen\^ood,  nettled 
for  a  moment.  "  I  have  known  you  too  long, 
but  I  hear  other  women  saying  so." 

"That  is  comforting,  at  all  events,"  said 
Lord  Bracondale,  "  I  always  have  adored 
women." 

"No,  you  never  have,  that  is  just  it.  You 
have  let  them  adore  you,  and  utterly  spoil  you ; 
so  now  sometimes,  Hector,  you  are  insupport- 
able." 

"You  just  said  I  was  attractive." 

"I  shall  not  argue  further  with  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Ellerwood,  pettishly. 

"And  I  think  we  ought  to  be  saying  good- 
night. Hector,"  interrupted  the  silent  Jack. 
"We  are  making  an  early  start  for  Fontaine- 

52 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


bleau  to-morrow,  and  Monica  likes  any  amoiint 
of  sleep." 

This  did  not  suit  Mrs.  Ellerwood  at  all ;  but 
if  Jack  spoke  seldom  he  spoke  to  some  purpose 
when  he  did,  and  she  knew  there  was  no  use 
arguing. 

So  with  a  heart  full  of  tmgratified  curiosity, 
she  at  last  allowed  herself  to  be  packed  into 
Hector's  automobile  and  driven  away. 

"  Of  course  he'll  go  and  join  that  other  party 
now,  Jack!  What  did  you  make  me  come 
away  for,  you  tiresome  thing!"  she  said  to  her 
husband. 

"  He  has  done  me  many  a  turn  in  the  past," 
said  Jack,  laconically. 

"Thenyou  think— ?" 

But  Jack  refused  to  think. 


Theodora  was  sitting  rather  on  the  out- 
skirts of  the  party  in  the  bosquet,  her  two 
devoted  admirers  still  on  either  side  of  her. 
All  the  chairs  were  arranged  informally,  and 
hers  was  against  the  opening,  so  that  it  proved 
easy  for  Lord  Bracondale  to  come  up  behind 
her  unperceived. 

She  believed  he  had  gone.  She  could  not 
see  distinctly  from  where  she  was,  but  she  had 
thought  she  saw  the  automobile  whizzing  by. 
She  recognized  Mrs.  EUerwood's  hat.  An  un- 
conscious feeling  of  blankness  came  over  her. 
She  grew  more  silent. 

A  lady  beyond  the  Prince  spoke  to  him,  and 
at  that  moment  Mr.  Hoggenwater  rose  to  put 
down  her  cofTee-cup,  and  in  this  second  of  lone- 
liness a  deep  voice  said  in  her  ear: 

"  I  could  not  go — I  wanted  to  say  good-night 
to  you!" 

Then  Theodora  experienced  a  new  emotion; 
she  could  not  have  told  herself  what  it  was,  but 
suddenly  a  gladness  spread  through  her  spirit; 

54 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


the  moon  looked  more  softly  bright,  and  her 
sweet  eyes  dilated  and  glowed,  while  that  voice, 
gentle  as  a  dove's,  trembled  a  little  as  she 
said: 

"Lord  Bracondale!     Oh,  you  startled  me!" 

He  drew  a  chair  and  sat  down  behind  her. 

"  How  shall  we  get  rid  of  your  Hogginheimer 
millionaire?"  he  whispered.  "I  feel  as  if  I 
wanted  to  kill  every  one  who  speaks  to  you 
to-night." 

The  half  light,  the  moon,  Paris,  and  the 
spring-time !  Theodora  spent  the  next  hour  in 
a  dream — a  dream  of  bliss. 

Mrs.  McBride,  with  her  all-seeing  eye,  per- 
ceived the  turn  events  had  taken.  She  was 
full  of  enjoyment  herself;  she  had  quite — al- 
most quite — decided  to  listen  to  the  addresses 
of  Captain  Fitzgerald,  therefore  her  heart,  not 
her  common-sense,  was  uppermost  this  night. 

It  could  not  hurt  Theodora  to  have  one 
evening  of  agreeable  conversation,  and  it  would 
do  Herryman  Hoggenwater  a  great  deal  of 
good  to  be  obstacled;  thus  she  expressed  it  to 
herself.  That  last  success  with  Princess  Wal- 
dersheim  had  turned  his  empty  head.  So  she 
called  him  and  planted  him  in  a  safe  place  by 
an  American  girl,  who  would  know  how  to  keep 
him,  and  then  turned  to  her  own  affairs  again. 

55 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


The  Prince  was  a  man  of  the  world,  and  un- 
derstood life.  So  Theodora  and  Lord  Bracon- 
dale  were  left  in  peace. 

The  latter  soon  moved  his  chair  to  a  position 
where  he  could  see  her  face,  rather  behind  her 
still,  which  entailed  a  slightly  leaning  over  atti- 
tude. They  were  beyond  the  radius  of  the 
lights  in  the  bosquet. 

Lord  Bracondale  was  perfectly  conversant 
with  all  moves  in  the  game;  he  knew  how  to 
talk  to  a  woman  so  that  she  alone  could  feel 
the  strength  of  his  devotion,  while  his  demeanor 
to  the  world  seemed  the  least  compromising. 

Theodora  had  not  spoken  for  a  moment  after 
his  first  speech.    It  made  her  heart  beat  too  fast. 

"  I  have  been  watching  you  all  through  din- 
ner," he  continued,  with  only  a  little  pause. 
"You  look  immensely  beautiful  to-night,  and 
those  two  told  you  so,  I  suppose." 

"Perhaps  they  did!"  she  said.  This  was  her 
first  gentle  essay  at  fencing.  She  would  try  to 
be  as  the  rest  were,  gay  and  full  of  badinage. 

"And  you  liked  it?"  with  resentment. 

"  Of  course  I  did ;  you  see,  I  never  have  heard 
any  of  these  nice  things  much.  Josiah  has  al- 
ways been  too  ill  to  go  out,  and  when  I  was  a 
girl  I  never  saw  any  people  who  knew  how  to 
say  them." 

56 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


She  had  turned  to  look  at  him  as  she  said 
this,  and  his  eyes  spoke  a  number  of  things 
to  her.  They  were  passionate,  and  resentful, 
and  jealous,  and  full  of  something  disturbing. 
Thrills  ran  through  poor  Theodora. 

His  eyes  had  been  capable  of  looking  most 
of  these  things  before  to  other  women,  when 
he  had  not  meant  any  of  them,  but  she  did  not 
know  that. 

"  Well,"  he  said,  "  they  had  better  not  return 
or  recommence  their  compliments,  because  I 
am  not  in  the  mood  to  be  polite  to  them  to- 
night." 

"What  is  your  mood?"  asked  Theodora, 
and  then  felt  a  little  frightened  at  her  own 
daring. 

"  My  mood  is  one  of  unrest — I  would  like  to 
be  away  alone  with  you,  where  we  could  talk 
in  peace,"  and  he  leaned  over  her  so  that  his 
lips  were  fairly  close  to  her  ear.  "These  peo- 
ple jar  upon  me.  I  woiild  like  to  be  sitting  in 
the  garden  at  Amalfi,  or  in  a  gondola  in  Ven- 
ice, and  I  want  to  talk  about  all  your  beautiful 
thoughts.  You  are  a  new  white  flower  for  me, 
as  different  as  an  angel  from  the  other  women 
in  the  world." 

"Am  I?"  said  she,  in  her  tender  tones.  "I 
would  wish  that  you  should  always  keep  that 

57 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


good  thought  of  me.  We  shall  soon  go  our 
dilferent  ways.  Josiah  has  decided  to  leave 
next  week,  and  we  are  not  likely  to  meet  in 
England." 

"Yes,  we  are  likely  to  meet — I  will  arrange 
it,"  he  said. 

There  was  nothing  hesitating  about  Hector 
Bracondale — his  way  with  women  had  always 
been  masterful — and  this  quaHty,  when  mixed 
with  a  sudden  bending  to  their  desires,  was 
peculiarly  attractive.  To-night  he  was  drift- 
ing^drifting  into  a  current  which  might  carry 
him  beyond  his  control. 

It  was  now  several  years  since  he  had  been 
in  love  even  slightly.  His  position,  his  appear- 
ance, his  personal  charm,  had  all  combined  to 
spoil  a  nature  capable  of  great  things.  Life 
had  always  been  too  smooth.  His  mother 
adored  him.  He  had  an  ample  fortune.  Every 
marriageable  girl  in  his  world  almost  had  been 
flung  at  his  head.  Women  of  all  classes  with 
one  consent  had  done  their  best  to  turn  him 
into  a  coxcomb  and  a  beast.  But  he  continued 
to  be  a  man  for  all  that,  and  went  his  own  way ; 
only  as  no  one  can  remain  stationary,  the  crust 
of  selfishness  and  cynicism  was  perhaps  thick- 
ening with  years,  and  his  soul  was  growing  hid- 
den   still    deeper   beneath    it    all.     From    the 

58 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


beginning  something  in  Theodora  had  spoken 
to  the  best  in  him.  He  was  conscious  of  feel- 
ings of  dissatisfaction  with  himself  when  he 
left  her,  of  disgust  with  the  days  of  unmeaning 
aims. 

He  had  begun  out  of  idle  admiration;  he 
had  continued  from  inclination ;  but  to-night 
it  was  plus  fort  que  lui,  and  he  knew  he  was  in 
love. 

The  habit  of  indulging  any  emotion  which 
gave  him  pleasure  was  still  strong  upon  him; 
it  was  not  yet  he  would  begin  to  analyze  where 
this  passion  might  lead  him — might  lead  them 
both. 

It  was  too  deliciously  sweet  to  sit  there  and 
whisper  to  her  sophistries  and  reasonings,  to 
take  her  sensitive  fancy  into  new  worlds,  to 
play  upon  her  feelings — those  feelings  which  he 
realized  were  as  fine  and  as  full  of  tone  as  the 
sounds  which  could  be  drawn  from  a  Stradi- 
varius  violin. 

It  was  a  night  of  new  worlds  for  them  both, 
for  if  Theodora  had  never  looked  into  any 
world  at  all,  he  also  had  never  even  imagined 
one  which  could  be  so  quite  divine  as  this — 
this  shared  with  her  in  the  moonlight,  with  the 
magic  of  the  Tzigane  music  and  the  soft  spring 
night. 

59 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


He  had  just  sufficient  mastery  over  himself 
left  not  to  overstep  the  bounds  of  respectful 
and  deep  interest  in  her.  He  did  not  speak  a 
word  of  love.  There  was  no  actual  sentence 
which  Theodora  felt  obliged  to  resent — and  yet 
through  it  all  was  the  subtle  insinuation  that 
they  were  more  than  friends — or  would  be  more 
than  friends. 

And  when  it  was  all  over,  and  Theodora's 
pulses  were  calmer  as  she  lay  alone  on  her 
pillow,  she  had  a  sudden  thrill  of  fear.  But 
she  put  it  aside — it  was  not  her  nature  to  think 
herself  the  object  of  passions.  "  I  would  be  a 
very  silly  woman  to  flatter  myself  so,"  she  said 
to  herself,  and  then  she  went  to  sleep. 

Lord  Bracondale  stayed  awake  for  hours,  but 
he  did  not  sup  with  Esclarmonde  de  Chartres 
or  Marion  de  Beauvoison.  And  the  Cafe  de 
Paris— and  Maxims— and  the  afterwards— saw 
him  no  more. 

Once  again  these  houris  asked  each  other, 
"Mais  qu'est-ce  qu'il  al  Ce  bel  Hector?  Ou 
se  cache-t-il?" 


VI 


Before  she  went  to  bed  in  her  hotel  in  the 

Rue  de  Rivoli,  Monica  EUerwood  wrote  to  her 

aunt. 

"Paris,  May  15th. 

"My  dear  Aunt  Milly, — We  have  had  a  delicious 
little  week,  Jack  and  I,  quite  like  an  old  honeymoon 
pair — and  to-day  we  ran  across  Hector,  who  has  re- 
mained hidden  until  now.  He  is  looking  splendid, 
just  as  handsome  and  full  of  life  as  ever,  so  it  does 
not  tell  upon  his  constitution,  that  is  one  mercy! 
Not  like  poor  Ernest  Bretherton,  who,  if  you  remem- 
ber, was  quite  broken  up  by  her  last  year.  And  I 
have  one  good  piece  of  news  for  you,  dear  Aunt  Milly. 
I  do  not  believe  he  is  so  frantically  wrapped  up  in  this 
Esclarmonde  de  Chartres  woman  after  all — in  spite  of 
that  diamond  chain  at  Monte  Carlo.  For  to-night  he 
took  us  to  dine  at  Armenonville — although  Jack  par- 
ticularly wanted  to  go  to  the  Madrid — and  when  we 
got  there  we  saw  at  once  wh}''!  There  was  a  most 
beautiful  woman  dining  there  with  a  party,  and 
Hector  never  took  his  eyes  off  her  the  whole  of  dinner. 
Jack  says — I  had  my  back  that  way — and  he  got  rid 
of  us  as  soon  as  he  could  and  went  and  joined  them. 
Very  young  she  looked,  but  I  suppose  married,  from 
her  pearls  and  clothes — American  probably,  as  she 
was  perhaps  too  well  dressed  for  one  of  us ;  but  quite 
a  lady  and  awfully  pretty.     Hector  was  so  snappish 

5  61 


Beyond  the  kocks 


about  it,  and  would  not  tell  her  name,  that  it  makes 
me  sure  he  is  very  much  in  love  with  her,  and  Jack 
thinks  so  too.  So,  dear  Aunt  Milly,  you  need  have 
no  more  anxieties  about  him,  as  she  can't  have  been 
married  long,  she  looks  so  young,  and  so  must  be 
quite  safe.  Jack  says  Hector  is  thoroughly  able  to 
take  care  of  himself,  anyway,  but  I  know  how  all 
these  things  worry  you.  If  I  can  find  out  her  name 
before  I  go  I  will,  though  perhaps  you  think  it  is  out 
of  the  frying-pan  into  the  fire,  as  it  makes  him  no 
more  in  the  mood  to  marry  Morella  Winmarleigh  than 
before.  Unless,  of  course,  this  new  one  is  unkind  to 
him.  We  shall  be  home  on  Saturday,  dear  Aunt 
Milly,  and  I  will  come  round  to  lunch  on  Sunday  and 
give  you  all  my  news. 

"Your  affectionate  niece, 

"Monica  Ellerwood." 


Which  epistle  jarred  upon  Hector's  mother 
when  she  read  it  over  coffee  at  her  soHtary 
dinner  on  the  following  night. 

"  Poor  dear  Monica!"  she  said  to  herself.  "  I 
wonder  where  she  got  this  strain  from — her 
father's  family,  I  suppose — I  wish  she  would 
not  be  so — ^bald." 

Then  she  sat  down  and  wrote  to  her  son — ■ 
she  was  not  even  going  to  the  opera  that  night. 
And  if  she  had  looked  up  in  the  tall  mirror  op- 
posite, she  would  have  seen  a  beautiful,  stately 
lady  with  a  puckered,  plaintive  frown  on  hei 
face. 

62 


Beyond  the  Rocks 

If  a  woman  absolutely  worships  a  man,  even 
if  she  is  only  his  mother,  she  is  bound  to  spend 
many  moments  of  unhappiness,  and  Lady  Bra- 
condale  was  no  exception  to  the  general  rule. 
Hector  had  always  gone  his  own  way,  and 
there  were  several  aspects  of  his  life  she  disap- 
proved of.  These  visits  to  Paris — his  antipathy 
to  matrimony — his  boredom  with  girls — such 
nice  girls  she  knew,  too,  and  had  often  thrown 
him  with!— his  delight  in  big-game  shooting  in 
alarming  and  impossible  countries — and,  above 
all,  his  absolute  indifference  to  Morella  Win- 
marleigh,  the  only  woman  who  really  and  truly 
in  her  heart  of  hearts  Lady  Bracondale  thought 
worthy  of  him,  although  she  would  have  ac- 
cepted several  other  girls  as  choosing  the  lesser 
evil  to  bachelorhood.  But  Morella  Winmar- 
leigh  was  perfection !  She  owned  the  enormous 
property  adjoining  Bracondale ;  she  was  twenty- 
six  years  old,  of  unblemished  reputation,  nice 
looking,  and  not  — not  one  of  those  modern 
women  who  are  bound  to  cause  anxieties. 
Under  any  circumstances  one  could  count  upon 
Morella  Winmarleigh  behaving  with  absolute 
propriety.     A  girl  bom  to  be  a  mother-in-law's 

joy. 

But  Hector  persistently  remained  at  large. 
It  was  not  that  he  openly  defied  his  mother— 

6.-, 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


he  simply  made  love  to  her  whenever  they  were 
together,  twisted  her  round  his  finger,  and  was 
off  again. 

"To  see  mother  with  Hector,"  Lady  Annig- 
ford  said,  "is  a  wonderful  sight.  Although  I 
adore  him  myself,  I  am  not  at  the  stage  she  is ! 
She  sits  there  beaming  on  him  exactly  like  an 
exceedingly  proud  and  fond  cat  with  new  kit- 
tens. He  treats  her  as  if  she  were  a  young  and 
beautiful  woman,  caresses  her,  pets  her,  pays 
not  the  least  attention  to  anything  she  says, 
and  does  absolutely  what  he  pleases!" 

Hector  and  Lady  Bracondale  together  had 
often  made  the  women  who  were  in  love  with 
him  jealous. 

When  she  had  finished  her  letter  the  stately 
lady  read  it  over  carefully — she  had  a  certain 
tact,  and  Hector  must  be  cajoled  to  return,  not 
irritated.  Monica's  epistle,  in  spite  of  that 
touch  of  vulgarity  which  she  had  deplored,  had 
held  out  some  grains  of  comfort.  She  had  been 
getting  really  anxious  over  this  affair  with  the 
— French  person.  Even  to  herself  Lady  Bra- 
condale would  not  use  any  of  the  terms  which 
usually  designate  ladies  of  the  type  of  Esclar- 
monde  de  Chartres. 

Since  her  brother-in-law  Evermond  had  re- 
turned from  Monte  Carlo  bringing  that  dis- 

64 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


tnrbing  story  of  the  diamond  chain,  she  had 
been  on  thorns — of  such  a  Hght  mind  and  al- 
ways so  full  of  worldly  gossip,  Evemiond! 

Hector  had  gone  from  Monte  Carlo  to  Venice, 
and  then  to  Paris,  where  he  had  been  for  more 
than  a  month,  and  she  had  heard  that  men 
could  become  quite  infatuated  and  absolutely 
ruined  by  these  creatures.  So  for  him  to  have 
taken  a  fancy  to  a  married  American  was  con- 
siderably better  than  that.  She  had  met  sev- 
eral members  of  this  nation  herself  in  England, 
and  were  they  not  always  very  discreet,  with 
well-balanced  heads!  So  altogether  the  puck- 
ered frown  soon  left  her  smooth  brow,  and  she 
was  able  to  resume  the  knitting  of  a  tie  she  was 
doing  for  her  son,  with  a  spirit  more  or  less  at 
rest,  though  she  sighed  now  and  then  as  she 
remembered  Morella  Winmarleigh  could  not  be 
expected  to  wait  forever  —  and  her  cherished 
vision  of  perfectly  behaved,  vigorously  healthy 
grandchildren  was  still  a  long  way  from  being 
realized.  For  with  such  a  mother  what  per- 
fect children  they  would  be!  This  was  always 
her  final  reflection. 


VII 

At  twelve  o'clock  punctually  Lord  Bracon- 
dale  was  ushered  into  Mrs.  McBride's  sitting- 
room  at  the  Ritz,  the  day  after  her  dinner-party 
at  Armenonville.  He  expected  she  would  not 
be  ready  to  receive  him  for  at  least  half  an 
hour;  having  said  twelve  he  might  have  known 
she  meant  half -past,  but  he  was  in  a  mood  of 
impatience,  and  felt  obliged  to  be  punctual. 

He  was  suffering  more  or  less  from  a  reac- 
tion. He  had  begun  towards  morning  to  realize 
the  manner  in  which  he  had  spent  the  evening 
was  not  altogether  wise.  Not  that  he  had  the 
least  intention  of  not  repeating  his  folly — in- 
deed, he  was  where  he  was  at  this  hour  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  enlist  the  widow's  sym- 
pathy, and  her  co-operation  in  arranging  as 
many  opportunities  for  similar  evenings  as  to- 
gether they  could  devise. 

After  all,  she  only  kept  him  waiting  twenty 
minutes,  and  he  had  been  rather  amused  look- 
ing at  the  piles  of  bric-a-brac  obsequious  art 
dealers  had  left  for  this  rich  lady's  inspection. 

66 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


A  niimber  of  spurious  bronzes  warranted  pure 
antique,  clocks,  brocades,  what  not,  lying  about 
on  all  the  available  space. 

"And  I  wonder  what  it  will  look  like  in  her 
marble  palace  halls,"  he  thought,  as  he  passed 
from  one  article  to  another. 

"  I  am  just  too  sorry  to  keep  you,  men  cher 
Bracondale,"  Mrs.  McBride  said,  presently,  sud- 
denly opening  the  adjoining  door  a  few  inches, 
"but  it  is  a  quite  exasperating  hat  which  has 
delayed  me.  I  can't  get  the  thing  on  at  the 
angle  I  want.     I — " 

"Mayn't  I  come  and  help,  dear  lady?"  inter- 
rupted Hector.  "  I  know  all  about  the  subject. 
I  had  to  buy  forty-seven  at  Monte  Carlo,  and 
see  them  all  tried  on,  too — and  only  lately! 
Do  ask  Marie  to  open  that  door  a  little  wider; 
I  will  decide  in  a  minute  how  it  should  be." 

"Insolent!"  said  the  widow,  who  spoke 
French  with  perfect  fluency  and  a  quite  mar- 
vellously pure  American  accent.  But  she  per- 
mitted the  giggling  and  beaming  Marie  to  open 
the  door  wide,  and  let  Hector  advance  and  kiss 
her  hand. 

He  then  took  a  chair  by  the  dressing-table 
and  inspected  the  situation. 

Seven  or  eight  dainty  bandboxes  strewed  the 
floor,  some  of  their  contents  peeping  from  them 

67 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


— ^feathers,  aigrettes,  flowers,  impossible  birds 
— all  had  their  place,  and  on  the  sofa  were  three 
chef  d'csuvres  ruthlessly  tossed  aside.  While  in 
the  widow's  fair  hands  was  a  gem  of  gray  tulle 
and  the  most  expensive  feather  heart  of  woman 
could  desire. 

"You  see,"  she  said,  plaintively,  "  it  is  meant 
to  go  just  so,"  and  she  placed  it  once  more  upon 
her  head,  a  handsome  head  of  forty-five,  fresh 
and  well  preserved  and  comely.  "  But  the  vile- 
tempered  thing  refuses  to  stay  there  once  I  let 
go,  and  no  pin  will  correct  it." 

"Base  ingratitude,"  said  Lord  Bracondale, 
with  feeling;  "but  couldn't  you  stiiff  these  in 
the  hiatus,"  and  he  tenderly  lifted  a  bunch  of 
nut-brown  curls  from  the  dressing-table.  "  They 
would  fill  up  the  gap  and  keep  the  fractious 
thing  steady." 

"Of  course  they  would,"  said  Mrs.  McBride; 
"but  I  have  a  rooted  objection  to  auxiliary 
nature  trimmings.  That  bunch  was  sent  with 
the  hat,  and  Marie  has  been  trying  to  persuade 
me  to  wear  it  ever  since  we  began  this  struggle. 
But  I  won't!  My  hair's  my  own,  and  I  don't 
mean  to  have  any  one  else's  alongside  of  it. 
There  is  my  trouble." 

"  If  milor  were  to  hold  madame's  'at  one  side, 
while   I   de   other,   madame   might   force   her 

68 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


emerald  parrot  pin  through  him,"  suggested 
Marie,  which  advice  was  followed,  and  the 
widow  beamed  with  satisfaction  at  the  gratify- 
ing result. 

"There!"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  sigh  of  relief, 
"  that  will  do ;  and  I  am  just  ready.  Gloves, 
handkerchief — oh !  and  my  purse,  Marie. ' '  And 
in  five  minutes  more  she  was  leading  the  way 
back  into  her  sitting-room. 

"  I  have  not  ordered  lunch  until  one  o'clock," 
she  said,  "so  we  have  oceans  of  time  to  talk 
and  tell  each  other  secrets.  Sit  down,  jeime 
homme,  and  confess  to  me."  She  pointed  to  a 
bergcre,  but  it  was  filled  with  Italian  embroid- 
eries. "Marie,  take  this  rubbish  away!"  she 
called,  and  presently  some  chairs  were  made 
clear. 

"And  what  must  I  confess?"  asked  Hector, 
when  they  were  seated .  "  That  I  am  frantically 
in  love  with  you,  and  your  coldness  is  driving 
me  wild?" 

"Certainly  not!"  said  the  widow,  while  she 
rose  again  and  began  to  arrange  some  giant 
roses  in  a  wonderful  basket  which  looked  as  if 
it  had  just  arrived — her  shrewd  eye  had  seen 
the  card,  "From  Captain  Fitzgerald,  with  his 
best  bonjour."  "  Certainly  not !  We  are  going 
to  talk  truth,  or,  to  punish  you,  I  shall  not  ask 

69 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


you  to  meet  her  again,  and  I  shall  warn  her 
father  of  your  strictly  dishonorable  intentions.'* 

"You  would  not  be  so  cruel!" 

"  Yes  I  would.  And  it  is  what  I  ought  to  do, 
anyway.  She  is  as  innocent  as  a  woolly  lamb, 
and  unsophisticated  and  guileless,  and  will  prob- 
ably be  falling  in  love  with  you.  You  take  the 
wind  out  of  the  sails  of  that  husband  of  hers, 
you  see!" 

"Do  I?"  said  Hector,  with  overdone  incre- 
dulity. 

She  looked  at  him.  His  long,  lithe  limbs 
stretched  out,  every  line  indicative  of  breeding 
and  strength.  She  noted  the  shape  of  his  head, 
the  perfect  grooming,  his  lazy,  insolent  grace, 
his  whimsical  smile.  Englishmen  of  this  class 
were  certainly  the  most  provokingly  beautiful 
creatures  in  the  world. 

"It  is  because  they  have  done  nothing  but 
order  men,  kill  beasts,  and  subjugate  women 
for  generations,"  she  said  to  herself.  "Lazy, 
naughty  darlings!  If  they  came  to  our  coun- 
try and  worked  their  brains  a  little,  they  would 
soon  lose  that  look.  But  it  would  be  a  pity," 
she  added — "yes,  a  pity." 

"What  are  you  thinking  of?"  asked  Lord 
Bracondale,  while  she  gazed  at  him. 

"  I  was  thinking  you  are  a  beautiful,  useless 
70 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


creature.  Just  like  all  your  nation.  You  think 
the  world  is  made  for  you ;  in  any  case,  all  the 
women  and  animals  to  kill  are." 

"What  an  abominable  libel!  But  I  am  fond 
of  both  things — ^women  and  animals  to  kill." 

"  And  you  class  them  equally — or  perhaps  the 
animals  are  ahead." 

"Indeed  not  always,"  said  Hector,  reassur- 
ingh\    "  Some  women  have  quite  the  first  place. ' ' 

"  You  are  too  flattering!"  retorted  the  widow. 
"Those  sentiments  are  all  very  well  for  your 
own  poor-spirited,  down-trodden  women,  but 
they  won't  do  for  Americans!  A  man  has  to 
learn  a  nimiber  of  lessons  before  he  is  fitted  to 
cope  with  them." 

"Oh,  tell  me,"  said  Hector. 

"  He  has  got  to  learn  to  wait,  for  one  thing, 
to  wait  about  for  hours  if  necessary,  and  not 
to  lose  his  temper,  because  the  w^oman  can't 
make  up  her  mind  to  be  in  time  for  things,  or 
to  change  it  often  as  to  where  she  will  dine. 
Then  he  has  to  learn  to  give  up  any  pleasure  of 
his  own  for  hers — and  travel  when  she  wants  to 
travel,  or  stay  home  when  she  wants  to  go 
alone.  If  he  is  an  Englishman  he  don't  have 
brains  enough  to  make  the  money,  but  he  must 
let  her  spend  what  he  has  got  how  she  likes, 
and  not  interfere  with  her  own." 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"And  in  return  he  gets?" 

"The  woman  he  happens  to  want,  I  sup- 
pose." And  the  widow  laughed,  showing  her 
wonderfully  preserved  brilliant  white  teeth. 

"You  enunciate  great  truths,  belle  dame!" 
said  Hector,  "and  your  last  sentence  is  the 
greatest  of  all  —  *  The  woman  he  happens  to 
want.'  " 

"Which  brings  us  back  to  our  muttons — in 
this  case  only  a  defenceless  baby  lamb.  Now 
tell  me  what  yoii  are  here  for,  trying  to  cajole 
me  with  your  good  looks  and  mock  humility." 

"  I  am  here  to  ask  you  to  help  me  to  see  her 
again,  then,"  said  Hector,  who  knew  when  to  be 
direct.  "  I  have  only  met  her  three  times,  as 
you  know,  but  I  have  fallen  in  love,  and  she  is 
going  away  next  week,  and  there  is  only  one 
Paris  in  the  world." 

"You  can  do  a  great  deal  of  mischief  in  a 
week,"  Mrs.  McBride  said,  looking  at  him 
again  critically.  "I  ought  not  to  help  you, 
but  I  can't  resist  you — there!  What  can  we 
devise?" 

It  is  possible  the  probability  of  Theodora's 
father  making  a  fourth  may  have  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  her  complaisance.  Anyway, 
it  was  decided  that  if  feasible  the  four  should 
spend  a  day  at  Versailles. 

72 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


They  should  go  in  their  two  automobiles  in 
time  for  breakfast  at  the  Reservoirs.  They 
would  start,  Theodora  in  Mrs.  McBride's  with 
her,  and  Captain  Fitzgerald  with  Lord  Bracon- 
dale,  and  each  couple  could  spend  the  after- 
noon as  they  pleased,  dining  again  at  the 
Reservoirs  and  whirling  back  to  Paris  in  the 
moonlight.  A  truly  rural  and  refreshing  pro- 
gramme, good  for  the  soul  of  man. 

"And  I  can  rely  upon  you  to  get  rid  of  the 
husband?"  said  Lord  Bracondale,  finally.  "I 
do  not  see  the  poetry  of  the  affair  with  his 
bald  head  and  mutton-chop  whiskers  as  an 
accessory." 

"  Leave  that  to  Captain  Fitzgerald  and  my- 
self," Mrs.  McBride  said,  proudly.  "I  have  a 
scheme  that  Mr.  Brown  shall  spend  the  day 
with  Clutterbuck  R.  Tubbs,  examining  some 
new  machinery  they  are  both  interested  in. 
Leave  it  to  me!"  The  part  oiDeus  exmachtna 
was  always  a  role  the  widow  loved. 

Then  they  descended  to  an  agreeable  lunch 
in  the  restaurant,  with  a  numerous  party  of 
her  friends  as  usual,  and  Lord  Bracondale  felt 
afterwards  full  of  joy  and  hope,  to  continue  his 
sinful  path  unrepenting. 

The  days  that  intervened  before  Theodora 
saw  him  again  were  uneventful  and  fiill  of 

73 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


blankness.  The  walks  in  the  Bois  appeared 
more  tedious  than  ever  in  the  morning,  the 
drives  in  the  Acacias  more  exasperating.  It 
was  a  continual  alertness  to  see  if  she  caught 
sight  of  a  famihar  face,  but  she  never  did. 
Fate  was  against  them,  as  she  sometimes  is 
when  she  means  to  compensate  soon  after  by 
some  glorious  day  of  the  gods.  And  although 
Lord  Bracondale  called  at  her  hotel  and 
walked  where  he  thought  he  should  see  her, 
and  even  drove  in  the  Acacias,  they  had  no 
meeting. 

Josiah  did  not  feel  himself  sufficiently  strong 
to  stand  the  air  of  theatres,  and  they  went  no- 
where in  the  evenings.  He  was  keeping  him- 
self for  his  own  dinner-party,  which  was  to 
take  place  at  the  Madrid  on  the  Monday. 

Captain  Fitzgerald  had  arranged  it,  and  be- 
sides Mrs.  McBride  several  of  his  friends  were 
coming,  and  a  special  band  of  wonderfully 
talented  Tziganes,  who  were  delighting  Paris 
that  year,  had  been  engaged  to  play  to  them. 
If  only  the  weather  should  rem.ain  fine  all 
would  be  well. 

A  surprise  awaited  Theodora  on  Saturday 
morning.  A  friendly  note  from  Mrs.  McBride 
an-ived,  asking  her  if  she  would  spend  the  day 
with  her  at  Versailles,  as  she  had  asked  her 

74 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


husband  to  do  her  a  favor  and  lunch  with  Mr. 
Clutterbuck  R.  Tubbs. 

Theodora  awaited  Josiah's  presence  at  the 
premier  dejeuner,  which  they  took  in  their  salon, 
with  absolute  excitement.  He  came  in,  a  pom- 
pous smile  on  his  face. 

"Good -day,  my  love,"  he  said,  blandly. 
"That  charming  widow  writes  me  this  morn- 
ing, asking  if  I  will  do  her  a  favor,  and  take 
her  friend,  Mr.  Clutterbuck  Tubbs,  to  examine 
that  machinery  for  the  separation  of  fats  we 
both  have  an  interest  in,  and  he  suggests  I 
should  lunch  with  him,  as  he  is  very  anx- 
ious to  have  my  opinion  upon  the  merits 
of  it." 

"Yes,"  said  Theodora. 

"She  also  says,"  referring  to  the  letter  in  his 
hand,  "  she  will  take  charge  of  you  for  the  day, 
and  take  you  to  Versailles,  which  I  know  you 
wish  to  go  to.  She  wants  an  answer  at  once, 
as  she  will  call  for  you  at  twelve  o'clock  if  we 
accept." 

"  I  have  heard  from  her,  too,"  said  Theodora. 
"What  shall  you  answer,  Josiah?"  and  she 
looked  out  of  the  window. 

"Oh,  I  may  as  well  go,  I  think.  There  is 
money  in  the  invention,  or  that  old  gimlet-eye 
would  not  be  so  keen  about  it;    I  talked  the 

75 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


matter  over  with  him  at  Armenonville  the  other 
night." 

"Then  shall  you  write  or  shall  I  ?"  said  Theo- 
dora, as  evenly  as  she  could.  "  Her  servant  is 
waiting." 


VIII 

Theodora  hummed  to  herself  a  glad  little 
chansonnette  as  she  changed  her  breakfast  neg- 
ligee for  the  freshest  and  loveliest  of  her  spring 
frocks.  She  did  not  know  why  she  was  so 
happy.  There  had  been  no  word  of  any  one 
else  being  of  the  party,  only  she  and  Mrs. 
McBride,  but  Versailles  would  be  exqiusite  on 
such  a  day,  and  something  whispered  to  her 
that  she  might  not  yawn. 

The  most  radiant  vision  awaited  the  widow, 
when,  with  unusual  punctuality,  her  automo- 
bile stopped  at  the  hotel  door.  She  came  in. 
She  was  voluble,  she  flattered  Josiah.  So  good 
of  him  to  take  Mr.  Tubbs — and  she  hoped  it 
would  not  tire  him.  Theodora  should  be  well 
looked  after.  They  might  be  late  and  even 
dine  at  Versailles,  she  said,  and  Mr.  Brown  was 
not  to  be  anxious — she  would  be  responsible  for 
the  safe  return  of  his  beautiful  little  wife. 
(Theodora  was  five  foot  seven  at  least,  but  her 
small  head  and  extreme  slendemess  gave  peo- 

6  77 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


pie  the  feeling  she  was  little — something  to  be 
protected  and  guarded  always.) 

Josiah  was  affable.  Mrs.  McBride's  words 
were  so  smooth  and  so  many,  he  had  no  time 
to  feel  Theodora  was  going  to  dine  out  without 
him,  or  that  anything  had  been  arranged  for 
ultimate  ends. 

The  automobile  had  almost  reached  Suresnes 
before  the  widow  said  to  her  guest : 

"Your  father  and  Lord  Eracondale  have 
promised  to  meet  us  at  the  Reservoirs.  Cap- 
tain Fitzgerald  told  me  how  you  wanted  to  go 
to  Versailles,  and  how  your  husband  is  not 
strong  enough  to  take  these  excursions,  so  I 
thought  we  might  have  this  little  day  out 
there,  while  he  is  engaged  with  Mr.  Clutter- 
buck  Tubbs." 

"How  sweet  of  you!"  said  Theodora, 

As  they  rushed  through  the  smiling  country, 
both  women's  spirits  rose,  and  Mrs.  McBride's 
were  the  spirits  of  experience  and  did  not 
mount  without  due  cause.  Since  she  had  been 
a  girl  in  Dakota  and  passionately  in  love  with 
her  first  husband — the  defunct  McBride  was  a 
second  venture — she  had  not  met  a  man  who 
could  quicken  her  pulse  like  Captain  Fitzgerald. 
It  was  a  curious  coincidence  that  they  both 
had  already  two  partners  to  regret.     It  was  an 

78 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


extra  link  between  them,  and  Jane  McBride, 
who  was  superstitioiis,  read  the  omen  to  mean 
that  this  time  each  had  met  his  true  mate. 

"If  he  is  irresistible  to-day,  I  think  I  shall 
clinch  matters,"  she  was  saying  to  herself. 

While  Theodora's  musings  ran : 

"How  beautiful  Versailles  will  look,  and  I 
dare  say  he  will  know  all  about  its  history,  and 
be  able  to  tell  me  interesting  things ;  and  oh !  I 
am  so  glad  I  put  on  this  frock,  and  oh !  I  am 
so  happy." 

And  aloud  they  spoke  of  paradise  plumes  and 
the  new  gray,  and  the  merits  and  demerits  of 
Callot  and  Doucet  and  Jeanne  Valez.  And  the 
widow  said  some  bright  American  things  about 
husbands  and  the  world  in  general  that  con- 
veyed crisp  truths. 

The  drive  seemed  all  too  short,  and  there 
were  their  two  cavaliers  in  the  court-yard  await- 
ing them  at  the  Reservoirs,  having  arrived  just 
before  them. 

To  the  end  of  her  life  Theodora  will  remem- 
ber that  glorious  l\Iay  day.  Its  even  minutest 
detail,  the  color  of  the  chestnut- trees,  the  tint 
of  the  sky,  the  scent  in  the  air,  every  line  of  his 
figure  and  turn  of  his  head,  every  look  in  his 
eyes — and  they  were  many  and  varied — and 
also  and  alas!    every  growing  emotion  in  her 

79 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


own  heart.  But  at  the  moment  all  was  glad- 
ness, and  exquisite,  young,  irresponsible  joy. 
Sans  arriere-pensee  or  disquieting  reflection. 

She  wondered  which  of  the  two  men  was  the 
handsomer  as  she  got  out  of  the  automobile — 
dear,  darling  papa  or  Lord  Bracondale;  both 
were  quite  show  creatures  of  their  age,  and  both 
were  of  the  same  class  and  knowledge  of  savoir- 
vivre.  Every  one  said  such  polite  and  gracious 
things,  it  was  all  so  smooth  and  gay,  and  it 
seemed  so  natural  that  they  shpuld  take  a  turn 
up  towards  the  chateau  while  breakfast  was 
being  prepared. 

Half -past  one  o'clock  was  time  enough  to  eat, 
the  widow  said. 

"  I  want  to  show  you  a  number  of  spots  I 
love,"  Hector  announced,  choosing  a  different 
path  to  the  other  pair.  "And  it  is  a  day  we 
can  be  happy  in,  can't  we?" 

"  I  want  to  be  happy,"  said  Theodora. 

"Then  we  shall  go  no  farther  now;  we  shall 
sit  on  this  seat  and  admire  the  view.  See,  we 
are  quite  alone  and  undisturbed ;  all  the  world 
has  gone  home  to  breakfast." 

Then  he  looked  at  her,  and  though  he  really 
did  try  at  this  stage  to  be  reasonable,  some- 
thing of  the  intense  attraction  he  felt  for  her 
blazed  in  his  eyes. 

80 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


She  was  sufficiently  delectable  a  picture  to 
turn  the  sagest  head.  There  was  something  so 
absolutely  pure  white  about  that  skin,  it  seem- 
ed good  to  eat,  flawless,  imlined,  imblemished, 
under  this  brilliant  light. 

The  way  her  silvery  blond  hair  grew  was 
just  the  right  way  a  woman's  hair  ought  to 
grow,  he  thought ;  low  on  a  high,  broad  brow, 
rippling  and  soft,  and  quantities  of  it.  What 
could  it  be  like  to  caress  it,  to  run  one's  fingers 
through  it,  to  bury  one's  face  in  it?  Ah!  and 
then  there  were  her  tender  eyes,  dewy  and 
shadowed  with  dark  lashes,  and  so  intensely 
blue.  His  glance  wandered  farther  afield. 
Such  a  figure!  slender  and  graceful  and  fine. 
There  was  something  almost  childish  about  it 
all;  the  innocent  look  of  a  very  young  girl, 
with  the  polish  of  the  woman,  garbed  by  an 
artist.  It  seemed  the  great  pearls  in  her  ears 
were  not  more  milkily  white  than  her  throat, 
and  he  was  sure  were  also  her  little  slender 
hands,  that  did  not  fidget,  but  lay  idly  in  her 
lap,  holding  her  blue  parasol.  He  would  like 
to  have  taken  off  her  gloves  to  see. 

Passionate  devotion  was  surging  up  in  his 
breast. 

And  he  was  an  Englishman,  and  it  was  still 
the  morning.     There  was  no  moon  now  and  he 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


had  not  even  breakfasted!  This  shows  suff.- 
ciently  to  what  state  he  had  come. 

"  I  vv^ant  you  to  tell  me  all  about  Versailles," 
she  said,  looking  to  the  left  and  the  gray  vring 
beyond  the  chapel.  "  Its  histories  and  its  mean- 
ings. I  used  to  read  about  it  all  after  Sarah 
brought  me  here  once  for  our  treat,  but  you 
probably  are  learned  u.pon  the  subject,  and  I 
want  to  know." 

"  I  would  much  rather  hear  what  you  did 
when  Sarah  brought  you  here  for  your  treat," 
he  said. 

"Oh!  it  was  a  very  simple  day,"  and  she 
leaned  back  and  laughed  softly  at  the  recollec- 
tion. "Papa  was  very  hard  up  at  that  time, 
you  know,  and  we  were  rather  poor,  so  we 
came  as  cheaply  as  we  could,  Sarah,  Clemen- 
tine, and  I,  and  I  remember  there  were  some 
very  snuffy  men  in  the  train — we  could  not 
go  first-class,  you  see — and  one  of  them  rather 
frightened  me." 

"The  brute!"  said  Hector. 

"  I  think  I  was  about  fourteen." 

"And  even  then  perfectly  beautiful,  I  ex- 
pect," he  commented  to  himself. 

"We  walked  up  from  the  station,  and  oh! 
we  saw  all  the  galleries  and  we  ran  all  over 
the  park,  but  we  missed  the  way  to  Trianon 

82 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


somehow  and  never  saw  that,  and  when  we 
got  back  here  we  were  too  tired  to  start  again. 
We  had  only  had  sandwiches,  you  see,  that  we 
brought  with  us,  and  some  funny  Httle  drinks 
at  a  cafe  do\^'Ti  there,"  and  she  pointed  vaguely 
towards  the  lake,  "because  we  found  we  had 
only  one  franc  fifty  between  us  all.  But  we 
were  so  happy,  and  Clementine  knows  a  great 
deal,  and  told  us  many  things  which  were  quite 
different  from  what  was  in  the  guide-books — 
but  it  seems  so  long,  long  ago.  Do  you  know 
it  must  be  six  years."  And  she  looked  at  him 
seriously. 

"Half  a  lifetime!"  agreed  Hector,  with  a 
whimsical  smile. 

"  Oh!  you  are  laughing  at  me!"  she  said,  and 
there  was  a  cloud  in  the  blue  stars  which  looked 
up  at  him. 

He  made  a  movement  nearer  her — while  his 
deep  voice  took  every  tone  of  tenderness. 

"Indeed,  indeed  I  am  not — you  dear  little 
girl!  I  love  to  hear  of  your  day.  I  was  (  nly 
smiling  to  think  that  six  years  ago  you  were  a 
baby  child,  and  I  was  then  an  old  man  in  feel- 
ing— let  me  see,  I  was  twenty-five,  and  I  was  in 
Russia." 

He  stopped  suddenly;  there  were  some  cir- 
cumstances which,  sitting  there  beside  her,  he 

83 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


would  rather  not  remember,  connected  with 
Russia. 

This  was  one  of  the  peculiarities  of  Theodora. 
There  was  something  about  her  which  seemed 
to  wither  up  all  low  or  vicious  things.  It  was 
not  that  she  filled  people  with  ascetic  thoughts 
of  saints  and  angels  and  their  mother  in  heaven, 
only  she  seemed  suddenly  to  enhance  simple 
joys  with  beauty  and  charm. 

They  talked  on  for  half  an  hour,  and  with 
every  moment  he  discovered  fresh  qualities  of 
sweetness  and  light  in  her  gentle  heart. 

She  was  not  ill  educated  either,  but  she  had 
never  speculated  upon  things,  she  took  them  for 
granted  just  as  they  were,  and  Jean  d'Agreve 
was  probably  the  only  awakening  book  she  had 
ever  read. 

Hector  all  at  once  seemed  to  realize  his 
mother's  vision,  and  to  understand  for  the  first 
time  what  marriage  might  mean.  That  to  pos- 
sess this  exquisite  bit  of  God's  finished  work  for 
his  very  own,  to  live  with  her  in  the  country, 
at  old  Bracondale,  to  see  her  honored  and 
adored,  surrounded  by  little  children — his  chil- 
dren— would  be  a  dream  of  bliss  far,  far  beyond 
any  dream  he  had  ever  known.  A  domestic, 
tender  dream  of  sweetness  that  he  had  always 
laughed  at  before  as  a  final  thing  when  life's 

84 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


other  joys  should  be  over,  and  now  it  seemed 
suddenly  to  be  the  only  heaven  and  completion 
of  his  soul's  desire. 

Then  he  remembered  Josiali  Brown  witli  a 
hideous  pang  of  pain  and  bitterness — and  they 
went  in  to  lunch. 

Theodora  was  so  gay!  Captain  Fitzgerald 
and  Mrs.  McBride  were  already  seated  when 
they  joined  them  in  the  restaurant.  Most  of 
the  other  visitors  had  finished- — it  was  almost 
two  o'clock. 

There  was  a  good  deal  of  black  middle  in  the 
widow's  eyes,  Theodora  noticed,  and  wondered 
to  herself  if  she  had  had  a  happy  and  exciting 
hour  too.  Papa  looked  complacent  and  hand- 
somer than  ever,  she  thought.  She  did  hope 
it  was  going  well.  And  she  wondered  how  they 
were  to  dispose  of  their  afternoon. 

The  widow  soon  settled  this.  She  had,  she 
said,  a  wild  desire  to  rush  through  the  air  for 
a  little  —  she  must  have  her  chauffeur  go  at 
full  speed — somewhere — anywhere — her  nerves 
needed  calming!  And  Captain  Fitzgerald  had 
agreed  to  accompany  her.  Their  destination 
was  unknown,  and  they  might  not  be  back  for 
tea,  so  Lord  Bracondale  must  take  the  greatest 
care  of  Theodora  and  give  her  some  if  they  did 

85 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


not  turn  up.  They  certainly  would  for  dinner, 
but  eight  o'clock  would  be  time  enough  for 
that. 

When  your  destination  is  unknown  you  can 
never  say  how  many  hours  it  will  take  to  get 
there  and  back,  she  pointed  out.  And  no  one 
felt  inclined  to  argue  with  her  about  this  obvi- 
ous truth! 

Now  if  Theodora  had  been  a  free  unmarried 
girl,  or  a  freer  widow,  it  is  highly  ;grobable  fate 
would  not  have  arranged  this  long  afternoon  in 
blissful  surroundings  undisturbed  by  any  one. 
As  it  was,  who  knows  if  the  goddess  settled  it 
with  a  smile  on  her  lip  or  a  tear  in  her  eye? 
It  was  settled;  at  all  events,  and  looked  as  if 
it  were  going  to  contain  some  moments  worth 
remembering. 


IX 


"And  what  is  your  pleasure,  fair  queen?" 
Hector  said,  as  they  Hstened  to  the  diminish- 
ing noise  of  the  widow's  Mercedes.  "We  are 
alone,  and  we  have  the  world  before  us.  Issue 
your  commands." 

"No,"  said  Theodora,  and  she  pouted  her 
red  lips.  "  I  want  you  to  settle  that.  I  want 
you  to  arrange  for  whatever  you  think  w^ould 
give  me  the  greatest  pleasure.  Then  I  shall 
know  if  you  understand  me  and  guess  what  I 
would  like." 

This  was  the  most  daring  speech  she  had 
ever  made,  and  she  was  surprised  at  her  own 
temerity. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said.  " That  means  you  be- 
long to  me  imtil  they  return,"  and  a  thrill  ran 
through  him.  "  Has  not  your  father,  has  not 
your  hostess,  given  you  into  my  charge?  And, 
now  you  yourself  have  sealed  the  compact,  we 
shall  see  if  I  can  make  you  happy." 

As  he  said  the  words  "you  belong  to  me," 
Theodora  thrilled  too — a  sensation  as  of  an  elec- 

87 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


trie  shock  almost  quivered  through  her.      Be- 
longed to  him — ah ! — ^what  would  that  mean  ? 

He  called  his  chauffeur,  who  started  the  au- 
tomobile and  drove  under  the  covered  porte 
cocker e  where  they  stood. 

Lord  Bracondale  had  not  spoken  all  the  time 
he  was  helping  her  in  and  arranging  rugs  with 
the  tenderest  solicitude,  but  when  they  were 
settled  and  started — it  was  a  coupe  with  a  great 
deal  of  glass  about  it,  so  that  they  got  plenty 
of  air — he  turned  to  her. 

"  Now,  do  you  know  what  I  am  going  to  do 
with  you,  madame?  I  shall  only  imfold  my 
plans  bit  by  bit,  and  watch  your  face  to  see  if 
I  have  chosen  well.  I  am  going  to  take  you 
first  to  the  Petit  Trianon,  and  we  are  going  to 
walk  leisurely  through  the  rooms.  I  am  not 
going  to  worry  you  with  much  sight-seeing  and 
tourists  and  lessons  of  history,  but  I  want  you 
to  glance  at  this  setting  of  the  life  picture  of 
poor  Marie  Antoinette,  because  it  is  full  of  sen- 
timent and  it  will  make  you  appreciate  more 
the  hameau  and  her  playgroimd  afterwards. 
Something  tells  me  you  would  rather  see  these 
things  than  all  the  fine  pictures  and  salons  of 
the  stiff  chateau." 

"Oh  yes,"  said  Theodora;  "you  have  guess- 
ed well  this  time." 

88 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Then  here  we  are,  almost  arrived,"  he  said, 
presently. 

They  had  been  going  very  fast,  and  could  see 
the  square,  white  house  in  front  of  them,  and 
when  they  alighted  at  the  gates  she  found  the 
guardian  was  an  old  friend  of  Lord  Bracon- 
dale's,  and  they  were  left  free  to  wander  alone 
in  the  rooms  between  the  batches  of  tourists. 

But  every  one  knows  the  Petit  Trianon,  and 
can  surmise  how  its  beauties  appealed  to  Theo- 
dora. 

"Oh,  the  poor,  poor  queen!"  she  said,  with 
a  sad  ring  in  her  expressive  voice,  when  they 
came  to  the  large  salon;  "and  she  sat  here  and 
played  on  her  harpsichord — and  I  wonder  if  she 
and  Fersen  were  ever  alone — and  I  wonder  if 
she  really  loved  him — •" 

Then  she  stopped  suddenly;  she  had  told 
herself  she  must  never  talk  about  love  to  any 
one.  It  was  a  subject  that  she  must  have  noth- 
ing to  do  with.  It  could  never  come  her  way, 
now  she  was  married  to  Josiah  Brown,  and  it 
would  be  unwise  to  discuss  it,  even  in  the 
abstract. 

The  same  beautiful,  wild -rose  tint  tinged  the 
white  velvet  as  once  before  when  she  had  spoken 
of  Jean  d'Agreve,  and  again  Lord  Bracondale 
experienced  a  sensation  of  satisfaction, 

89 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


But  this  time  he  would  not  let  her  talk  about 
the  weather.  The  subject  of  love  interested 
him,  too. 

"Yes,  I  am  sure  she  did,"  he  said,  "and  I 
always  shall  believe  Fersen  was  her  lover;  no 
life,  even  a  queen's,  can  escape  one  love." 

"I  suppose  not,"  said  Theodora,  very  low, 
and  she  looked  out  of  the  window. 

"  Love  is  not  a  passion  which  asks  our  leave 
if  he  may  come  or  no,  you  see,"  Hector  con- 
tinued, trying  to  control  his  voice  to  sound 
dispassionate  and  discursive — he  knew  he  must 
not  frighten  her.  "  Love  comes  in  a  thousand 
unknown,  imdreamed-of  ways.  And  then  he 
gilds  the  world  and  makes  it  into  heaven." 

"Does  he?"  almost  whispered  Theodora. 

"And  think  what  it  must  have  been  to  a 
queen,  married  to  a  tiresome,  unattractive 
Bourbon — and  Fersen  was  young  and  gallant 
and  thoughtful  for  her  slightest  good,  and,  from 
what  one  hears  and  has  read,  he  must  have 
understood  her,  and  been  her  friend  as  well — 
and  sometimes  she  must  have  forgotten  a,bout 
being  a  queen  for  a  few  moments — in  his 
arms — " 

Theodora  drew  a  long,  long  breath,  but  she 
did  not  speak. 

"  And  perhaps,  if  we  knew,  the  remembrance 
90 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


of  those  moments  may  have  been  her  glory  and 
consolation  in  the  last  dark  hours." 

"Oh!     I  hope  so!"  said  Theodora. 

Then  she  walked  on  quickly  into  the  quaint, 
little,  low  -  ceilinged  bedroom.  Oh,  she  must 
get  out  into  the  air — or  she  must  talk  of  furni- 
ture, or  curtain  stuffs,  or  where  the  bath  had 
been ! 

Love,  love,  love!  And  did  it  mean  life  after 
all' — since  even  this  far-off  love  of  this  poor 
dead  queen  had  such  power  to  move  her.  And 
perhaps  Fersen  was  like — but  this  last  thought 
caused  her  heart  to  beat  too  wildly. 

There  were  no  roses  now,  she  was  very  pale 
as  she  said:  "It  saddens  me,  this.  Let  us  go 
out  into  the  sun." 

They  descended  the  staircase  again  almost 
in  silence,  and  on  through  the  little  door  in 
the  court-yard  wall  into  the  beautiful  garden 
beyond. 

"  Show  me  where  she  was  happy,  where  you 
know  she  was  happy  before  any  troubles  came. 
I  want  to  be  gay  again,"  said  Theodora. 

So  they  walked  down  the  path  towards  the 
hameau. 

"What  have  I  done?"  Lord  Bracondale  won- 
dered. "  Her  adorable  face  went  quite  white. 
Her  soul  is  no  longer  the  open  book  I  have 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


found  it.     There  are  depths  and  depths,  but 
I  must  fathom  them  all." 

"Oh,  how  I  love  the  spring-time!"  exclaimed 
Theodora,  and  her  voice  was  full  of  relief. 
"  Look  at  those  greens,  so  tender  and  young, 
and  that  peep  of  the  sky!  Oh,  and  those  dear, 
pretty  little  dolls'  houses!  Let  us  hasten;  I 
want  to  go  and  play  there,  and  make  butter, 
too!     Don't  you?" 

"Ah,  this  is  good,"  he  said;  "and  I  want 
just  what  you  want." 

Her  face  w^as  all  sweet  and  joyous  as  she 
turned  it  to  him. 

"Let's  pretend  Ave  lived  then,"  she  said, 
"and  I  am  the  miller's  daughter  of  this  dear 
little  mill,  and  3^ou  are  the  bailiff's  son  who 
lives  opposite,  and  you  have  come  with  your 
com  to  be  grotmd.  Oh,  and  I  shall  make  a 
bargain,  and  charge  you  dear!"  and  she  laugh- 
ed and  swung  her  parasol  back,  while  the  sun 
glorified  her  hair  into  burnished  silver. 

"  What  bargain  could  you  make  that  I  would 
not  agree  to  willingly?"  he  asked. 

"Perhaj^s  some  day  I  shall  make  one  with 
you — or  want  to — that  you  wall  not  like,"  she 
said,  "  and  then  I  shall  remind  you  of  this  day 
and  your  gallant  speech." 

"And  I  shall  say  then  as  I  say  now.     I  will 
92 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


make  any  bargain  with  you,  so  long  as  it  is  a 
bargain  which  benefits  us  both." 

"Ah,  you  are  a  Normand,  you  hedge!"  she 
laughed,  but  he  was  serious. 

They  walked  all  around  the  laiterie,  and  all 
the  time  she  was  gay  and  whimsical,  and  to 
herself  she  was  saying,  "  I  am  unutterably  hap- 
py, but  we  must  not  talk  of  love." 

"Now  you  have  had  enough  of  this,"  Lord 
Bracondale  said,  when  they  were  again  in  view 
of  the  house,  "  and  I  am  going  to  take  you  into 
a  torest  like  the  babes  in  the  woods,  and  we 
shall  go  and  lose  ourselves  and  forget  the  world 
altogether.  The  very  sight  of  these  harmless 
tourists  in  the  distance  jars  upon  me  to-day. 
I  want  you  alone  and  no  one  else.     Come." 

And  she  went. 

"I  have  never  been  here  before,"  said  Theo- 
dora, as  they  turned  into  the  Forest  of  Marly. 
"  And  you  have  been  wise  in  your  choice  so  far. 
I  love  trees." 

"  You  see  how  I  study  and  care  for  the  things 
which  belong  to  me, "  said  Hector.  It  gave  him 
ridiculous  pleasure  to  announce  that  sentence 
again — ridiculous,  unwarrantable  pleasure. 

Theodora  turned  her  head  away  a  little.  She 
would  like  to  have  continued  the  subject,  but 
she  did  not  dare. 

7  93 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Presently  they  came  to  a  side  allee,  and  after 
going  up  it  about  a  mile  the  automobile  stojDped, 
and  they  got  out  and  walked  down  a  green  glade 
to  the  right. 

Oh,  and  I  wonder  if  any  of  you  who  read 
know  the  Forest  of  Marly,  and  this  one  green 
glade  that  leads  down  to  the  centre  of  a  star 
where  five  avenues  meet?  It  is  all  soft  grass 
and  splendid  trees,  and  may  have  been  a 
rendezvous  de  chasse  in  the  good  old  days,  when 
life — for  the  great — ^was  fair  in  France. 

It  is  very  lonely  now,  and  if  you  want  to 
spend  some  hours  in  peace  you  can  almost 
count  upon  solitude  there. 

"Now,  is  not  this  beautiful?"  he  asked  her, 
as  they  neared  the  centre,  "  and  soon  you  will 
see  why  I  carry  this  rug  over  my  arm.  I  am 
going  to  take  you  right  to  the  middle  of  the 
star  until  you  see  five  paths  for  you  to  choose 
from,  all  green  and  full  of  glancing  simlight, 
and  when  you  have  selected  one  we  will  pene- 
trate down  it  and  sit  imder  a  tree.  Is  it  good 
• — ^my  idea?" 

"Very  good,"  said  Theodora.  Then  she  was 
silent  until  they  reached  the  rond-point. 

There  was  that  wonderful  sense  of  aloofness 
and  silence — hardly  even  the  noise  of  a  bird. 
Only  the  green,  green  trees,  and  here  and  there 

94 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


a  shaft  of  sunlight  turning  them  into  the  shade 
of  a  Hzard's  back. 

An  ideal  spot  for — poets  and  dreamers — and 
lovers — ^Theodora  thought. 

"  Now  we  are  here !  Look  this  way  and  that ' 
Five  paths  for  us  to  choose  from!" 

Then  something  made  Theodora  say,  "Oh, 
let  us  stay  in  the  centre,  in  this  one  round 
place,  where  we  can  see  them  all  and  their 
possibilities." 

"And  do  you  think  uncertain  possibilities 
are  more  agreeable  perhaps  than  certain  ends?" 
he  asked. 

"I  never  speculate,"  said  Theodora. 

"As  you  will,  then,"  he  said,  while  he  looked 
into  her  eyes,  and  he  placed  the  rug  up  against 
a  giant  tree  between  two  avenues,  so  that  their 
view  really  only  extended  down  three  others 
now. 

"  We  have  turned  our  backs  on  the  road  we 
came,"  he  said,  "and  on  another  road  that 
leads  in  a  roundabout  way  to  the  Grande  Ave- 
nue again.  So  now  we  must  look  into  the  un- 
known and  the  future." 

"  It  seems  all  very  green  and  fair,"  said  Theo- 
dora, and  she  leaned  back  against  the  tree  and 
half  closed  her  eyes. 

He  lay  on  the  grass  at  her  feet,  his  hat  thrown 
95 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


off  beside  him,  and  in  a  desert  island  they  could 
not  have  been  more  alone  and  undisturbed. 

The  greatest  temptation  that  Hector  Bracon- 
dale  had  ever  yet  had  in  his  life  came  to  him 
then.  To  make  love  to  her,  to  tell  her  of  all 
the  new  thoughts  she  had  planted  in  his  soul, 
of  the  windows  she  had  opened  wide  to  the 
sunlight.  To  tell  her  that  he  loved  her,  that 
he  longed  to  touch  even  the  tips  of  her  fingers, 
that  the  thought  of  caressing  her  lips  and  her 
eyes  and  her  hair  drove  the  blood  coursing 
madly  through  his  veins.  That  to  dream  of 
what  life  could  be  like,  if  she  were  really  his 
own,  was  a  dream  of  intoxicating  bliss. 

And  something  of  all  this  gleamed  in  his  eyes 
as  he  gazed  up  at  her— and  Theodora,  all  un- 
used to  the  turbulence  of  emotion,  was  troubled 
and  moved  and  yet  wildly  happy.  She  looked 
away  down  the  centre  avenue,  and  she  began  to 
speak  fast  with  a  little  catch  in  her  breath,  and 
Hector  clinched  his  hands  together  and  gazed 
at  a  beetle  in  the  grass,  or  otherwise  he  would 
have  taken  her  in  his  arms. 

"Tell  me  the  story  of  all  these  avenues,"  she 
said;  "tell  me  a  fairy  story  suitable  to  the 
day." 

And  he  fell  in  with  her  mood.     So  he  began: 

"  Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  fairy  prince 
96 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


and  princess,  and  a  witch  had  enchanted  them 
and  put  them  in  a  green  forest,  but  had  set  a 
watch-dog  over  Love — so  that  the  poor  Cupid 
with  his  bow  and  arrows  might  not  shoot  at 
them,  and  they  were  told  they  might  Hve  and 
enjoy  the  green  wood  and  find  what  they  could 
of  sport  and  joy.  But  Cupid  laughed.  'As  if,' 
he  said,  'there  is  anything  in  a  green  wood  of 
good  without  me — and  my  shafts!'  So  while 
the  watch-dog  slept — it  was  a  warm,  warm  day 
in  May,  just  such  as  this — he  shot  an  arrow  at 
the  prince  and  it  entered  his  heart.  Then  he 
ran  off  laughing.  '  That  is  enough  for  one  day,' 
he  said.  And  the  poor  prince  suffered  and  siif- 
fered  because  he  was  wounded  and  the  princess 
had  not  received  a  dart,  too— and  could  not  feel 
for  him." 

"Was  she  not  even  sym.pathetic?"  asked 
Theodora,  and  again  there  was  that  catch  in 
her  breath. 

"Yes,  she  was  sympathetic,"  he  continued, 
"but  this  was  not  enough  for  the  prince;  he 
wanted  her  to  be  wounded,  too." 

"How  very,  very  cruel  of  him,"  said  Theo- 
dora. 

"  But  men  are  cruel,  and  the  prince  was  only 
a  man,  you  know,  although  he  was  in  a  green 
forest  with  a  lovely  princess." 

97 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"And  what  happened?"  asked  Theodora. 

"Well,  the  watch-dog  slept  on,  so  that  a 
friendly  zephyr  coiild  come,  and  it  whispered 
to  the  prince:  'At  the  end  of  all  these  allees, 
which  lead  into  the  future,  there  is  only  one 
thing,  and  that  is  Love;  he  bars  their  gates. 
As  soon  as  you  start  down  one,  no  matter 
which,  you  will  find  him,  and  when  he  sees 
your  princess  he  will  shoot  an  arrow  at  her, 
too.'" 

"Oh,  then  the  princess  of  course  never  went 
down  an  allee,"  said  Theodora — and  she  smiled 
radiantly  to  hide  how  her  heart  was  beating — 
"did  she?" 

"The  end  of  the  story  I  do  not  know,"  said 
Lord  Bracondale ;  "  the  fairy  who  told  it  to  me 
would  not  say  what  happened  to  them,  only 
that  the  prince  was  wounded,  deeply  wounded, 
^^ith  Love's  arrow.  Aren't  you  sorry  for  the 
prince,  beautiful  princess?" 

Theodora  opened  her  blue  parasol,  although 
no  ray  of  sunshine  fell  upon  her  there.  She 
was  going  through  the  first  moment  of  this 
sort  in  her  life.  She  was  quite  unaccustomed 
to  fencing,  or  to  any  intercourse  with  men — 
especially  men  of  his  world.  She  understood 
this  story  had  himself  and  herself  for  hero  and 
heroine;   she  felt  she  must  continue  the  badi- 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


nage — anything  to  keep  the  tone  as  light  as  it 
could  be,  with  all  these  new  emotions  flooding 
her  being  and  making  her  heart  beat.  It  was 
almost  pain  she  experienced,  the  sensation  was 
so  intense,  and  Hector  read  of  these  things  in 
her  eyes  and  was  content.  So  he  let  his  voice 
grow  softer  still,  and  almost  whispered  again: 

"  And  aren't  you  sorry  for  the  prince — ^beau- 
tiful princess  ? ' ' 

"I  am  sorry  for  any  one  who  suffers,"  said 
Theodora,  gently,  "even  in  a  fairy  story." 

And  as  he  looked  at  her  he  thought  to  him- 
self, here  was  a  rare  thing,  a  beautiful  woman 
with  a  tender  heart.  He  knew  she  would  be 
gentle  and  kind  to  the  meanest  of  God's  creat- 
ures. And  again  the  vision  of  her  at  Bracon- 
dale  came  to  him — his  mother  would  grow  to 
love  her  perhaps  even  more  than  Morella  Win- 
marleigh!  How  she  would  glorify  everything 
commonplace  w^ith  those  tender  ways  of  hers! 
To  look  at  her  was  like  looking  up  into  the 
vast,  pure  sky,  with  the  light  of  heaven  be- 
yond. And  yet  he  lay  on  the  grass  at  her  feet 
with  his  mind  full  of  thoughts  and  plans  and 
desires  to  drag  this  angel  down  from  her  high 
heaven — into  his  arms! 

Because  he  was  a  man,  you  see,  and  the  time 
of  his  awakening  was  not  yet. 

99 


X 


Man  is  a  hunter — a  hunter  always.  He  may 
be  a  poor  thing  and  hunt  only  a  few  puny  aims, 
or  he  may  be  a  strong  man  and  choose  big 
game.  But  he  is  hunting,  hunting — something 
— always. 

And  primitive  life  seems  like  the  spectnmi  of 
light — composed  of  three  primary  colors,  and 
white  and  black  at  the  beginning  and  ending  of 
it.  And  the  three  colors  of  blue,  red,  and  yel- 
low have  their  counterparts  in  the  three  great 
passions  in  man  —  to  hunt  his  food,  to  con- 
tinue his  species,  and  to  kill  his  enemy. 

And  white  and  black  seem  like  birth  and 
death — and  there  is  the  sim,  which  is  the  soul 
and  makes  the  colors,  and  allows  of  all  com- 
binations and  graduations  of  beautiful  other 
shades  from  them  for  parallels  to  all  other 
qualities  and  instincts,  only  the  original  are 
those  great  primary  forces — to  hunt  his  food, 
to  continue  his  species,  and  to  kill  his  enemy. 

And  if  this  is  so  to  the  end  of  time,  m^an  will 
be  the  same,  I  suppose,  until  civilization  has 

lOO 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


emasculated  the  whole  of  nature  and  so  ends 
the  world !  Or  until  this  wonderful  new  scien- 
tist has  perfected  his  researches  to  the  point  of 
creating  human  life  by  chemical  process,  as  well 
as  his  present  discovery  of  animating  jelly- 
fish! 

Who  knows?  But  by  that  time  it  will  not 
matter  to  any  of  us! 

Meanwhile,  man  is  at  the  stage  that  when  he 
loves  a  woman  he  wishes  to  possess  her,  and, 
in  a  modified  form,  he  wishes  to  steal  her,  if 
necessary,  from  another,  or  kill  the  enemy  who 
steals  her  from  him. 

But  the  Sun  of  the  Soul  is  there,  too,  so  the 
poor  old  world  is  not  in  such  a  very  bad  case 
after  all. 

And  how  the  hon  Dieu  must  smile  sadly  to 
Himself  when  He  looks  down  on  priests  and 
nuns  and  hermits  and  fanatics,  and  sees  how 
they  have  distorted  His  beautiful  scheme  of 
things  with  their  narrow  ideas.  Tr\^ing  to 
eliminate  the  red  out  of  His  spectrum,  instead 
of  ennobling  and  glorif3dng  it  all  with  the  Sun 
of  the  Soul. 

And  all  of  you  who  are  great  reasoners  and 
arguers  will  laugh  at  this  ridiculous  little  simile 
of  life  drawn  by  a  woman ;  but  I  do  not  care. 
I  have  had  my  outburst,  and  said  what  I  wanted 

lOI 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


to.  So  now  we  can  get  back  to  the  two — who 
were  not  yet  lovers — under  their  green  tree  in 
the  Forest  of  Marly. 

"But  you  must  be  able  to  guess  the  end," 
Theodora  was  saying ;  "  and  oh,  I  want  to  know, 
if  all  the  roads  were  barred  by  love — how  did 
they  get  out  of  the  wood?" 

"They  took  him  with  them,"  said  Lord  Bra- 
condale,  and  he  touched  the  edge  of  her  dress 
gently  with  a  wild  flower  he  had  picked  in  the 
grass,  while  into  his  eyes  crept  all  the  passion 
he  felt  and  into  his  voice  all  the  tenderness. 

Now  if  Theodora  had  ever  read  La  Faute  de 
VAhhe  Mouret  she  would  have  known  just 
what  proximity  and  the  spring-time  was  doing 
for  them  both. 

But  she  had  not  read,  and  did  not  know. 
All  she  was  conscious  of  was  a  wild  thrilling  of 
her  pulses,  an  extraordinary  magnetic  force 
that  seemed  to  draw  her — draw  her  nearer — 
nearer  to  what?  Even  that  she  did  not  know 
or  ask  herself.  Beyond  that  it  was  danger,  and 
she  must  fly  from  it. 

"  I  do  not  want  to  talk  of  any  of  those  things 
to-day,"  she  said,  suddenly  dropping  her  para- 
sol between  them.  "  I  only  want  to  laugh  and 
be  amused,  and  as  you  were  to  devise  schemes 
for  my  happiness,  you  must  amuse  me." 

I02 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


He  looked  up  at  her  again  and  he  noticed,  for 
all  this  brave  speech,  that  her  hands  were  trem- 
bling as  she  clutched  the  handle  of  her  blue 
parasol. 

Triumph  and  joy  ran  through  him.  He 
could  afford  to  wait  a  little  longer  now,  since 
he  knew  that  he  must  mean  something,  even 
perhaps  a  great  deal,  to  her. 

And  so  for  the  next  half -hour  he  played  with 
her,  he  skimmed  over  the  surface  of  danger,  he 
enthralled  her  fancy,  and  with  every  sentence  he 
threw  the  glamour  of  his  love  around  her,  and 
fascinated  her  soul.  All  his  powers  of  attrac- 
tion— and  they  were  many — were  employed  for 
her  undoing. 

And  Theodora  sat  as  one  in  a  dream. 

At  last  she  felt  she  must  wake — must  realize 
that  she  was  not  a  happy  princess,  but  Theo- 
dora, who  must  live  her  dull  life — and  this — and 
this — where  was  it  leading  her  to  ? 

So  she  clasped  her  hands  together  suddenly, 
and  she  said: 

"But  do  you  know  we  have  grown  serious, 
and  I  asked  you  to  amuse  me,  Lord  Bracon- 
dale!" 

"I  cannot  amuse  you,"  he  said,  lazily,  "but 
shall  I  tell  you  about  my  home,  which  I  should 
like  to  show  you  some  day?"     And  again  he 


lO' 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


began  to  caress  the  farthest  edge  of  her  dress 
with  his  wild  flower.  Just  the  smallest  move- 
ment of  smoothing  it  up  and  down  that  no  one 
could  resent,  but  which  was  disturbing  to 
Theodora.  She  did  not  wish  him  to  stop,  on 
the  contrary — and  yet — 

"Yes,  I  would  like  to  hear  of  that,"  she  said. 
"Is  it  an  old,  old  house?" 

"Oh,  moderately  so,  and  it  has  nooks  and 
corners  and  views  that  might  appeal  to  you. 
I  believe  I  should  find  them  all  endowed  with 
fresh  charm  myself,  if  I  could  see  them  with 
you" — and  he  made  the  turning-point  of  his 
flower  a  few  inches  nearer  her  hand. 

Theodora  said  nothing ;  but  she  took  courage 
and  peeped  at  him  again.  And  she  thought 
how  powerful  he  looked,  and  how  beautifully 
shaped;  and  she  liked  the  fineness  of  the  silk 
of  his  socks  and  his  shirt,  and  the  cut  of  his 
clothes,  and  the  wave  of  his  hair — and  last  of 
all,  his  brown,  strong,  well -shaped  hands. 

And  then  she  fell  to  wondering  what  the 
general  scheme  of  things  could  be  that  made 
husbands  possess  none  of  these  charms ;  when, 
if  they  did,  it  could  all  be  so  good  and  so 
delicious,  instead  of  a  terribly  irksome  duty  to 
live  with  them  and  be  their  wives. 

"You  are  not  listening  to  a  word  I  am 
104 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


saying!"    said    Hector.     "Where    were    your 
thotights,  cruel  lady  ?" 

She  was  confused  a  little,  and  laughed  gently. 
"  They  were  away  in  a  land  where  you  can  never 
come,"  she  said. 

He  raised  himself  on  his  elbow,  and  support- 
ed his  head  on  his  hand,  while  he  answered, 
eagerly : 

"But  I  must  come!  I  want  to  know  them, 
all  your  thoughts.  Do  you  know  that  since 
we  met  on  Monday  you  have  never  been  for 
one  instant  out  of  my  consciousness.  And  you 
would  not  listen  then  to  what  I  told  you  of 
friendsliip  when  it  is  born  of  instantaneous 
sympathy — it  is  because  in  some  other  life  two 
souls  have  been  very  near  and  dear.  .\nd  that 
is  our  case,  and  I  want  to  make  you  feel  it  so, 
as  I  do.     Tell  me  that  you  do — ?" 

"I  do  not  know  what  I  do  feel,"  said  Theo- 
dora. "  But  perhaps — could  it  be  true  that  we 
met  when  we  lived  before ;  and  when  was  that  ? 
and  who  were  we?" 

"  It  matters  not  a  jot,"  said  he.  "  So  long  as 
vou  feel  it  too— that  we  are  not  only  of  yester- 
dav,  you  and  I.  There  is  some  stronger  link 
between  us." 

For  one  second  they  looked  into  each  other's 
eyes,  and  each  read  the  other's  thoughts  mir- 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


rored  there;  and  if  his  said,  in  conscious,  pas- 
sionate words,  "  I  love  you,"  hers  were  troubled 
and  misty  with  possibilities.  Then  she  jumped 
up  from  her  seat  suddenly,  and  her  voice  trem- 
bled a  little  as  she  said : 

"And  now  I  want  to  go  out  of  the  wood." 

He  rose  too  and  stood  beside  her,  while  he 
pointed  to  the  glade  to  the  left  of  the  centre 
they  were  facing. 

"We  must  penetrate  into  the  future  then," 
he  said,  "because  I  told  my  chauffeur  to  meet 
us  on  the  road  where  I  think  that  will  lead 
to.  We  cannot  go  back  by  the  way  we  have 
come." 

And  she  did  not  answer;  she  was  afraid,  be- 
cause she  remembered  all  those  avenues  were 
barred  by — love. 

As  he  walked  beside  her.  Hector  Bracondale 
knew  that  now  he  must  be  very,  very  careful  in 
what  he  said.  He  must  lull  her  fears  to  sleep 
again,  or  she  would  be  off  like  a  lark  towards 
high  heaven,  and  he  would  be  left  upon  earth. 

So  he  exerted  himself  to  interest  and  amuse 
her  in  less  agitating  ways.  He  talked  of  his 
home  and  his  mother  and  his  sister.  He  want- 
ed Theodora  to  meet  them.  She  would  lil^e 
Anne,  he  said,  and  his  mother  would  love  her, 
he   knew.     And   again   the   impossible   vision 

io6 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


came  to  him,  and  he  felt  he  hated  the  face  of 
Morella  Winmarleigh. 

Usually  when  he  had  been  greatly  attracted 
by  a  married  woman  before,  he  had  uncon- 
sciously thought  of  her  as  having  the  qualities 
which  would  make  her  an  adorable  mistress,  a 
delicious  friend,  or  a  holiday  amusement. 
There  had  never  been  any  reverence  mixed 
up  with  the  affair,  which  usually  had  the  zest 
of  forbidden  fruit,  and  was  hurried  along  by 
passion.  It  had  always  only  depended  upon 
the  woman  how  far  he  had  got  beyond  these 
stages ;  but,  as  he  thought  of  Theodora,  uncon- 
sciously a  picture  always  came  to  him  of  what 
she  wotild  be  were  she  his  wife.  And  it  aston- 
ished him  when  he  analyzed  it;  he,  the  scoffer 
at  bonds,  now  to  find  this  picture  the  fairest  in 
the  world! 

And  as  yet  he  was  hardly  even  dimly  grow- 
ing to  realize  that  fate  would  turn  the  anguish 
of  this  desire  into  a  chastisement  of  scorpions 
for  him. 

Things  had  always  been  so  within  his 
grasp. 

"We  shall  go  to  England  on  Tuesday,"  Theo- 
dora said,  as  they  sauntered  along  down  the 
green  glade.  "  It  is  so  strange,  you  know,  but 
I  have  never  been  there." 

107 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"  Never  been  to  England!"  Hector  exclaimed, 
incredulously. 

"Nol"  and  she  smiled  up  at  him.  All  was 
at  peace  now  in  her  mind,  and  she  dared  to 
look  as  much  as  she  pleased. 

"No.  Papa  used  to  go  sometimes,  but  it 
was  too  expensive  to  take  the  whole  family ;  so 
we  were  left  at  Bruges  generally,  or  at  Dieppe, 
or  where  we  chanced  to  be.  If  it  was  the  sum- 
mer, often  we  have  spent  it  in  a  Normandy 
farm-house." 

"Then  how  have  you  learned  all  the  things 
you  know?"  he  asked. 

"That  was  not  difficult.  I  do  not  know 
much,"  she  said,  gently,  "and  Sarah  taught  me 
in  the  beginning,  and  then  I  went  to  convents 
whenever  we  were  in  towns,  and  dear  paj)a  was 
so  kind  and  generous  always;  no  matter  how 
hard  up  he  was  he  always  got  the  best  masters 
available  for  me — and  for  Clementine.  Sarah 
is  much  older,  and  even  Clementine  five  years." 

"  I  wonder  what  on  earth  you  will  think  of  it 
— England,  I  mean?"  He  was  deeply  inter- 
ested. 

"I  am  sure  I  shall  love  it.  We  have  always 
spoken  of  it  as  home,  you  know.  And  papa 
has  often  described  my  grandfather's  houses. 
Both  my  grandfathers  had  beautiful  houses,  it 

io8 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


seems,  and  he  says,  now  that  I  am  rich  and 
cannot  ever  be  a  trouble  to  them,  the  family- 
might  be  pleased  to  see  me." 

She  spoke  quite  simply.  There  never  was 
room  for  bitterness  or  irony  in  her  tender  heart. 
And  Hector  looked  down  upon  her,  a  sort  of 
worship  in  his  eyes. 

"Papa's  father  is  dead  long  ago;  it  is  his 
brother  who  owns  Beechleigh  now,"  she  con- 
tinued—"Sir  Patrick  Fitzgerald.  They  are 
Irish,  of  course,  but  the  place  is  in  Cambridge- 
shire, because  it  came  from  his  grandmother." 

"Yes,  I  know  the  old  boy,"  said  Hector.  "  I 
see  him  at  the  turf  —  a  fiery,  vile  -  tempered, 
thin,  old  bird,  about  sixty." 

"That  sounds  like  him,"  said  Theodora. 

"And  so  you  are  going  to  make  all  these 
relations'  acquaintance.  What  an  experience 
it  will  be,  won't  it?"  His  voice  was  full  of 
sympathy.  "But  you  will  stay  in  London. 
They  are  all  there  now,  I  suppose?" 

"My  Grandfather  Borringdon,  my  mother's 
father,  never  goes  there,  I  believe;  he  is  very 
old  and  delicate,  we  have  heard.  But  I  have 
written  to  him — papa  wished  me  to  do  so ;  for 
myself  I  do  not  care,  because  I  think  he  was 
unkind  to  my  mother,  and  I  shall  not  like  him. 
It  was  cruel  never  to  speak  to  her  again — wasn't 

8  109 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


it? — ^just  because  she  married  papa,  whom  she 
loved  very  much — papa,  who  is  so  handsome 
that  he  could  never  have  really  been  a  hus- 
band, could  he?" 

Then  she  blushed  deeply,  realizing  what  she 
had  said. 

And  the  quaintness  of  it  caused  Hector  to 
smile  while  he  felt  its  pathos. 

How  could  they  all  have  sacrificed  this  beau- 
tiful young  life  between  them !  And  he  slashed 
off  a  tall  green  weed  with  his  stick  when  he 
thought  of  Josiah  Brown — his  short,  stumpy, 
plebeian  figure  and  bald,  shiny  head,  his  common 
voice,  and  his  pompousness — ^Josiah  Brown, 
who  had  now  the  ordering  of  her  comings  and 
goings,  who  paid  for  her  clothes  and  gave  her 
those  great  pearls — who  might  touch  her  and 
kiss  her — might  clasp  and  caress  her — might 
hold  her  in  his  arms,  his  very  own,  any  moment 
of  the  day  —  or  night!  Ah,  God!  that  last 
thought  was  impossible — unbearable. 

And  for  one  second  Hector's  eyes  looked 
murderous  as  they  glared  into  the  distance — 
and  Theodora  glanced  up  timidly,  and  asked,  in 
a  sympathetic  voice :  What  was  it  ?  What  ailed 
him? 

"Some  day  I  will  tell  you,"  he  said.  "But 
not  yet." 

no 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Then  he  asked  her  more  about  her  family 
and  her  plans. 

They  would  stay  in  London  at  Claridge's  for 
a  week  or  so,  and  go  down  to  Bessington  Hall 
for  Whitsuntide.  It  would  be  ready  for  them 
then.  Josiah  had  had  it  all  furnished  magnifi- 
cently by  one  of  those  people  who  had  taste 
and  ordered  well  for  those  who  could  afford  to 
pay  for  it.  She  was  rather  longing  to  see  it, 
she  said — her  future  home — and  she  could  have 
wished  she  might  have  chosen  the  things  her- 
self.    Not  that  it  mattered  much  either  way. 

"I  am  very  ignorant  about  houses,"  she  ex- 
plained, "because  we  never  really  had  one,  you 
see,  but  I  think,  perhaps,  I  would  know  what 
was  pretty  from  museums  and  pictures — and  I 
love  all  colors  and  forms." 

He  felt  sure  she  would  know  what  was  pretty. 
How  delightful  it  would  be  to  watch  her  playing 
with  his  old  home!  The  touches  of  her  gentle 
fingers  would  make  everything  sacred  after- 
wards. 

At  last  they  came  to  the  end  of  the  green 
glade  —  and  temptation  again  assailed  him. 
He  must  ruffle  the  peace  of  her  soft  eyes  once 
more. 

"And  here  is  the  barrier,"  he  said,  pointing 
to  a  board  with  "  Terrain  reserv^''  upon  it — R^- 

III 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


serve  pour  la  chasse  de  Monsieur  le  President, 
"The  barrier  which  Love  keeps — and  I  want 
to  take  him  with  us  as  the  prince  and  princess 
did  in  the  fairy  tale." 

"Then  you  must  carry  him  all  by  yourself," 
laughed  Theodora.  "  And  he  will  be  heavy  and 
tire  you,  long  before  we  get  to  Versailles." 

This  time  she  was  on  her  guard — and  besides 
they  were  walking — and  he  was  no  longer  caress- 
ing the  edge  of  her  dress  with  his  wild  flower ;  it 
was  almost  easy  to  fence  now. 

But  when  they  reached  the  automobile  and 
he  bent  over  to  tuck  the  rug  in — and  she  felt 
the  touch  of  his  hands  and  perceived  the  scent 
of  him — the  subtle  scent,  not  a  perfume  hardly, 
of  his  coat,  or  his  hair,  a  wild  rush  of  that  pas- 
sionate disturbance  came  over  her  again,  mak- 
ing her  heart  beat  and  her  eyes  dilate. 

And  Hector  saw  and  understood,  and  bit  his 
lips,  and  clinched  his  hands  together  under  the 
rug,  because  so  great  was  his  own  emotion  that 
he  feared  what  he  should  say  or  do.  He  dared 
not,  dared  not  chance  a  dismissal  from  the  joy 
of  her  presence  forever,  after  this  one  day. 

"  I  will  wait  until  I  know  she  loves  me  enough 
to  certainly  forgive  me — and  then,  and  then — " 
he  said  to  himself. 

But  Fate,  who  was  looking  on,  laughed  while 

113 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


she  chanted,  "The  hour  is  now  at  hand  when 
these  steeds  of  passion  whose  reins  you  have 
left  loose  so  long  will  not  ask  your  leave,  noble 
friend,  but  will  carry  you  whither  they  will." 


XI 


They  were  both  a  little  constrained  upon 
the  journey  back  to  Versailles — and  both  felt 
it.  But  when  they  turned  into  the  Porte  St. 
Antoine  Theodora  woke  up. 

"Do  you  know,"  she  said,  "something  tells 
me  that  for  a  long,  long  time  I  shall  not  again 
have  such  a  happy  day.  It  can't  be  more  than 
half-past  five  or  six — need  we  go  back  to  the 
Reservoirs  yet  ?  Could  we  not  have  tea  at  the 
little  cafe  by  the  lake?" 

He  gave  the  order  to  his  chauffeur,  and  then 
he  turned  to  her. 

"I,  too,  want  to  prolong  it  all,"  he  said,  " and 
I  want  to  make  you  happy — always." 

"  It  is  only  lately  that  I  have  begun  to  think 
about  things,"  she  said,  softly — "about  happi- 
ness, I  mean,  and  its  possibilities  and  impossi- 
bilities. I  think  before  my  marriage  I  must 
have  been  half  asleep,  and  very  young." 

And  Hector  thought,  "You  are  still,  but  I 
shall  awake  you." 

"You  see,"  she  continued,  "I  had  never  read 
114 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


any  novels,  or  books  about  life  until  Jean  d' 
Agrcve.  And  now  I  wonder  sometimes  if  it  is 
possible  to  be  really  happy  —  really,  really 
happy?" 

"I  know  it  is,"  he  said;  "but  only  in  one 
way." 

She  did  not  dare  to  ask  in  what  way.  She 
looked  down  and  clasped  her  hands. 

"I  once  thought,"  she  went  on,  hurriedly, 
"that  I  was  perfectly  happy  the  first  time 
Josiah  gave  me  two  thousand  francs,  and  told 
me  to  go  out  with  my  maid  and  buy  just  what 
I  wished  with  it;  and  oh,  we  bought  every- 
thing I  could  think  Sarah  and  Clementine 
could  want,  numbers  and  numbers  of  things, 
and  I  remember  I  was  fearfully  excited  when 
they  were  sent  off  to  Dieppe.  But  I  never 
knew  if  I  chose  well  or  if  they  liked  them  all 
quite,  and  now  to  do  that  does  not  give  me 
nearly  so  much  joy." 

Soon  they  drew  up  at  the  little  cafe  and 
ordered  tea,  which  he  guessed  probably  would 
be  very  bad  and  they  would  not  drink.  But 
tea  was  English,  and  more  novel  than  coffee 
for  Theodora,  and  that  she  must  have,  she  said. 

She  was  so  gracious  and  sweet  in  the  pouring 
of  it  out,  when  presently  it  came,  and  the 
elderly  waiter  seemed  so  sympathetic,  and  it 

115 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


was  all  gay  and  bright  with  the  late  afternoon 
siin  streaming  upon  them. 

"The  gargon  takes  us  for  a  honeymoon 
couple,"  Hector  said ;  "he  sees  you  have  beau- 
tiful new  clothes,  and  that  we  have  not  yet 
begun  to  yawn  with  each  other." 

But  Theodora  had  not  this  view  of  honey- 
moons. To  her  a  honeymoon  meant  a  night- 
mare, now  happily  a  thing  of  the  past,  and 
almost  forgotten. 

"Do  not  speak  of  it,"  she  said,  and  she  put 
out  her  hands  as  if  to  ward  off  an  ugly  sight, 
and  Hector  bent  over  the  table  and  touched  her 
fingers  gently  as  he  said: 

"Forgive  me,"  and  he  raged  within  himself. 
How  could  he  have  been  so  gauche,  so  clumsy 
and  unlike  himself.  He  had  punished  them 
both,  and  destroyed  an  illusion.  He  meant 
that  she  should  picture  herself  and  him  as  mar- 
ried lovers,  and  she  had  only  seen  —  Josiah 
Brown.  The)^  both  fell  into  silence  and  so 
finished  their  repast. 

"I  want  you  to  walk  now,"  Hector  said, 
"  through  some  delicious  allees  where  I  will  show 
you  Enceladus  after  he  was  struck  by  the  thun- 
ders of  Zeus.  You  will  like  him,  I  think,  and 
there  is  fine  greensward  aroimd  him  where  we 
can  sit  awhile." 

ii6 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"  I  was  always  sor^  for  him,"  said  Theodora; 
"and  oh,  how  I  would  like  to  go  to  Sicily  and 
see  ^tna  and  his  fiery  breath  coming  forth,  and 
to  know  when  the  island  quakes  it  is  the  poor 
giant  turning  his  weary  side!" 

To  go  to  Sicily — and  with  her!  The  picture 
conjured  up  in  Hector's  imagination  made  him 
thrill  again. 

Then  he  told  her  about  it  all,  he  charmed  her 
fancy  and  excited  her  imagination,  and  by  the 
time  they  came  to  their  goal  the  feeling  of  jar 
had  departed,  and  the  dangerous  sense  of  at- 
traction— of  nearness — had  returned. 

It  was  nearly  seven  o'clock,  and  here  among 
the  trees  all  was  in  a  soft  gloom  of  evening 
light. 

"Is  not  this  still  and  far  away?"  he  said,  as 
they  sat  on  an  old  stone  bench.  "  I  often  stay 
the  whole  morning  here  when  I  spend  a  week  at 
Versailles." 

"How  peaceful  and  beautiful!  Oh,  I  would 
like  a  week  here,  too!"  and  Theodora  sighed. 

"You  must  not  sigh,  beautiful  princess,"  he 
implored,  "on  this  our  happy  day." 

The  slender  lines  of  her  figure  seemed  all 
drooping.  She  reminded  him  more  than  ever 
of  the  fragment  of  Psyche  in  the  Naples  Mu- 
seum. 

117 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"No,  I  must  not  sigh,"  she  said.  "But  it 
seems  suddenly  to  have  grown  sad — the  air — 
what  does  it  mean?  Tell  me,  you  who  know 
so  many  things?"  There  was  a  pathos  in  her 
voice  like  a  child  in  distress. 

It  communicated  itself  to  him,  it  touched 
some  chords  in  his  nature  hitherto  silent.  His 
whole  being  rushed  out  to  her  in  tenderness. 

"  It  seems  to  me  it  is  because  the  time  grows 
nearer  when  we  must  go  back  to  the  world. 
First  to  dinner  with  the  others,  and  then — 
Paris.  I  would  like  to  stay  thus  always— just 
alone  with  you." 

She  did  not  refute  this  solution  of  her  sad- 
ness. She  knew  it  was  true.  And  when  he 
looked  into  her  eyes,  the  blue  was  troubled 
with  a  mist  as  of  coming  tears. 

Then  passion  — more  mighty  than  ever  — 
seized  him  once  more.  He  only  felt  a  wild 
desire  to  comfort  her,  to  kiss  away  the  mist- 
to  talk  to  her.     Ah! 

"Theodora!"  he  said,  and  his  voice  vibrated 
with  emotion,  while  he  bent  forward  and  seized 
both  her  hands,  which  he  lifted  to  his  face— she 
had  not  put  on  her  gloves  again  after  the  tea— 
her  cool,  little,  tender  hands!  He  kissed  and 
kissed  their  palms. 

"Darling— darling,"    he   said,    incoherently, 
ii8 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"what  have  I  done  to  make  your  dear  eyes 
wet?  Oh,  I  love  you  so,  I  love  you  so,  and  I 
have  only  made  you  sad." 

She  gave  a  little,  inarticulate  cry.  If  a 
wounded  dove  could  sob,  it  might  have  been 
the  noise  of  a  dove,  so  beseeching  and  so 
pathetic.  "Oh,  please  —  you  must  not,"  she 
said.  "Oh,  what  have  you  done! — you  have 
killed  our  happy  day." 

And  this  was  the  beginning  of  his  awaken- 
ing. He  sat  for  many  moments  with  his  head 
buried  in  his  hands.  What,  indeed,  had  he 
done! — and  they  would  be  turned  out  of  their 
garden  of  Eden — and  all  1»ecause  he  was  a 
brute,  who  could  not  control  his  passion,  but 
must  let  it  run  riot  on  the  first  opportunity. 

He  suffered  intensely.  Suffered,  perhaps, 
for  the  first  time  in  his  life. 

She  had  not  said  one  word  of  anger — only 
that  tone  in  her  voice  reached  to  his  heart. 

He  did  not  move  and  did  not  speak,  and 
presently  she  touched  his  hands  softly  with  her 
slender  fingers,  it  seemed  like  the  caress  of  an 
angel's  wing. 

"Listen,"  she  said,  so  gently.  "Oh,  you 
must  not  grieve — but  it  was  too  good  to  be 
true,  our  day.  I  ought  to  have  known  to 
where  we  were  drifting,  I  am  wicked  to  have 

119 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


let  you  say  all  you  have  said  to-day,  but  oh, 
I  was  asleep,  I  think,  and  I  only  knew  that  I 
was  happy.  But  now  you  have  shown  me — 
and  oh,  the  dream  is  broken  up.  Come,  let  us 
go  back  to  the  world." 

Then  he  raised  his  eyes  to  her  face,  and  they 
were  haggard  and  miserable. 

How  her  simple  speech,  blaming  herself  who 
w^as  all  innocent,  touched  his  heart  and  filled 
him  with  shame  at  his  unworthiness. 

"Oh,  forgive  me!"  he  pleaded.  "Oh,  please 
forgive  me!  I  am  mad,  I  think,  I  love  you  so 
— and  I  had  to  tell  you — and  yes,  I  will  say  it 
all  now,  and  then  you  can  punish  me.  From 
the  first  moment  I  looked  into  your  angel  eyes 
it  has  been  growing,  you  are  so  true  and  so 
sweet,  and  so  miles  beyond  all  other  women  in 
the  world.  Each  minute  I  have  loved  you 
more— and  all  the  time  I  thought  to  win  you. 
Yes,  you  may  well  turn  away,  and  shrink  from 
me  now  that  you  know  the  brute  I  am.  I 
thought  I  would  make  you  love  me,  and  you 
would  forgive  me  then.  But  I  have  suddenly 
seen  your  soul,  my  darling,  and  I  am  ashamed, 
and  I  can  only  ask  you  to  forgive  me  and 
let  me  worship  you  and  be  your  slave  —  I 
will  not  ask  for  any  return — only  to  worship 
you   and  be  your   slave  —  that   I   may  show 


120 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


you  I  am  not  all  brute  and  may  earn  your 
pardon." 

And  then  Theodora's  blindness  fell  from  her 
and  she  knew  that  she  loved  him — she  had 
faced  the  fact  at  last.  And  all  over  her  being 
there  thrilled  a  mad,  wild  joy.  It  surged  up 
and  crushed  out  fear  and  pain — for  just  one 
moment — and  then  she  too,  in  her  turn,  covered 
her  face  with  her  hands. 

"Oh,  hush!  hush!"  she  said.  "What  have 
you  done — what  have  we  both  done!" 

It  was  characteristic  of  her  that  now  she 
realized  she  loved  him  she  did  not  fence  any 
longer,  she  never  thought  of  concealing  it  from 
him  or  of  blaming  him.  They  were  sinners 
both,  he  and  she  equally  guilty. 

Another  woman  might  have  argued,  "  He  is 
fooling  me;  perhaps  he  has  said  these  things 
before — I  must  at  least  hide  my  own  heart," 
but  not  Theodora.  Her  trust  was  complete — 
she  loved  him — therefore  he  was  a  perfect 
knight — and  if  he  was  wicked  she  was  wicked 
too. 

Her  gentian  eyes  were  full  of  tears  as  she  let 
fall  her  hands  and  looked  at  him.  "Oh  yes, 
I  have  been  asleep — I  should  have  known  from 
the  beginning  why,  why  I  wanted  to  see  you 
so  much — I  should  never  have  come — and  I 

121 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


should  have  understood  in  the  wood  that  we 
could  not  leave  it  without  bringing  Love  with 
us — and  now  we  may  not  be  happy  any  more." 

And  then  it  was  his  turn  to  be  exalted  with 
wild  joy. 

"Do  you  know  what  you  have  said,"  he 
whispered,  breathless.  "Your  words  mean 
that  you  love  me — ^Theodora — darling  mine," 
And  once  again  passion  blazed  in  his  eyes,  and 
he  would  have  taken  her  in  his  arms;  but  she 
put  up  her  hands  and  gently  pushed  him  from 
her. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  simply,  "I  love  you,  but 
that  only  makes  it  all  the  harder — and  we  must 
say  good-bye  at  once,  and  go  our  different 
ways.  You  who  are  so  strong  and  know  so 
much — I  trust  you,  dear — you  must  help  me 
to  do  what  is  right." 

She  never  thought  of  reproaching  him,  of 
telling  him,  as  she  very  well  could  have  done, 
that  he  had  taken  cruel  advantage  of  her  im- 
sophistication.  All  her  mind  was  full  of  the 
fact  that  they  were  both  very  sad  and  wicked 
and  must  help  each  other." 

"I  cannot  say  good-bye,"  he  said,  "now  that 
I  know  you  love  me,  darling;  it  is  impossible. 
How  can  we  part — what  will  the  days  be — how 
could  we  get  through  our  lives?" 

123 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


She  looked  at  him,  and  her  eyes  were  the  eyes 
of  a  wounded  thing — dumb  and  pitiful,  and  ask- 
ing for  help. 

Then  the  something  that  was  fine  and  noble 
in  Hector  Bracondale  rose  up  in  him — the  crust 
of  selfishness  and  cynicism  fell  from  him  like 
a  mask.  He  suddenly  saw  himself  as  he  was, 
and  she — as  she  was — and  a  determination  came 
over  him  to  grow  worthy  of  her  love,  obey  her 
slightest  wish,  even  if  it  must  break  his  heart. 

He  dropped  upon  his  knees  beside  her  on  the 
greensward,  and  buried  his  face  in  her  lajj. 

"Darling — my  queen,"  he  said.  "I  will  do 
whatever  you  command — ^but  oh,  it  need  not 
be  good-bye.  Don't  let  me  sicken  and  die  out 
of  your  presence.  I  swear,  on  my  word  of 
honor,  I  will  never  trouble  you.  Let  me  wor- 
ship you  and  watch  over  you  and  make  your 
life  brighter.  Oh,  God!  there  can  be  no  sin  in 
that." 

"  I  trust  you!"  she  said,  and  she  touched  the 
waves  of  his  hair.  "And  now  we  must  not 
linger — ^we  must  come  at  once  out  of  this  place. 
I — I  cannot  bear  it  any  more." 

And  so  they  went — into  an  allee  of  close, 
cropped  trees,  where  the  gloom  was  almost 
twilight;  but  if  there  was  pain  there  was  joy 
too,  and  almost  peace  in  their  hearts. 

123 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


All  the  anguish  was  for  the  afterwards. 
Love,  who  is  a  god,  was  too  near  to  his  kingdom 
to  admit  of  any  rival. 

"Hector,"  she  whispered,  and  as  she  said  his 
name  a  wild  thrill  ran  through  him  again. 
"Hector — the  Austrian  Prince  at  Armenon- 
ville  said  life  was  a  current  down  which  our 
barks  floated,  only  to  be  broken  up  on  the 
rocks  if  it  was  our  fate ;  and  I  said  if  we  tried 
very  hard  some  angel  would  steer  us  past  them 
into  smooth  waters  beyond;  and  I  want  you 
to  help  me  to  find  the  angel,  dear — will  you?" 

But  all  he  could  say  was  that  she  was  the 
angel,  the  only  angel  in  heaven  or  earth. 

And  so  they  came  at  last  to  the  Bason  de 
Neptime,  and  on  through  the  side  door  into 
the  Reservoirs — and  there  was  the  widow's 
automobile  that  moment  arrived. 


XII 

Every  one  behaved  with  immense  propriety 
— they  said  just  what  they  should  have  said, 
there  was  no  gene  at  all.  And  when  they  went 
up  the  stairs  together  to  arrange  their  hair  and 
their  hats  for  dinner,  the  elder  woman  shpped 
her  arm  through  Theodora's. 

"  I  am  going  to  marry  your  father,  my  dear," 
she  said,  "and  I  want  you  to  be  the  first  to 
wish  me  joy." 

The  dinner  went  off  with  great  gayety.  The 
widow  especially  was  full  of  bright  sayings,  and 
Captain  Fitzgerald  made  the  most  devoted 
lover.  Not  too  elated  by  his  good-fortune,  and 
yet  thoroughly  happy  and  tender.  He  con- 
tinually told  himself  that  fate  had  been  uncom- 
monly kind  to  mix  business  and  pleasure  so 
dexterously,  for  if  the  widow  had  not  possessed 
a  cent,  he  still  would  have  been  glad  to  marry 
her. 

He  had  been  quite  honest  with  her  on  their 
drive,  explaining  his  financial  situation  and  his 
disadvantages,   which  he  said  could   only  be 

9  I2S 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


slightly  balanced  by  his  devotion  and  affection 
— ^but  of  those  he  would  lay  the  whole  at  her 
feet. 

And  the  widow  had  said : 

"Now  look  here,  I  am  old  enough  just  to 
know  what  my  money  is  worth — and  if  you 
like  to  put  it  as  a  business  speculation  for  me, 
I  consider,  in  buying  the  companion  for  the  rest 
of  my  life  who  happens  to  suit  me,  I  am  laying 
out  the  sum  to  my  own  advantage." 

After  that  there  was  no  more  to  be  said,  and 
he  had  spent  his  time  making  love  to  her  like 
any  Romeo  of  twenty,  and  both  were  content. 

All  through  dinner  a  certain  strange  excite- 
ment dominated  Theodora.  She  felt  there 
would  be  more  deep  emotion  yet  to  come  for 
her  before  the  day  should  close. 

How  were  they  going  back  to  Paris  ? 

The  moon  had  risen  pure  and  full,  she  could 
see  it  through  the  windows.  The  night  was 
soft  and  warm,  and  when  the  last  sips  of  coffee 
and  liqueurs  were  finished  it  was  still  only  nine 
o'clock. 

On  an  occasion  when  no  personal  excitement 
was  stirring  Captain  Fitzgerald  he  probably 
would  have  hesitated  about  approving  of  Theo- 
dora soendin.f^  the  entire  evening  alone  with 
Lord  Bracondale.     She  was  married,  it  was  true 

126 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


— ^but  to  Josiah  Brown — and  Dominic  Fitzger- 
ald knew  his  world.  To-night,  however,  neither 
the  widow  nor  he  had  outside  thoughts  beyond 
themselves.  Indeed,  Mrs.  Mc Bride  was  so  over- 
flowing with  joy  she  had  almost  a  feeling  of 
satisfaction  in  the  knowledge  that  the  others 
would  possibly  be  happy  too — ^when  she  thought 
of  them  at  all! 

Again  she  decided  the  situation  for  every  one, 
and  again  fate  laughed. 

There  was  no  use  staying  any  longer  at  Ver- 
sailles, because  the  park  gates  were  shut  and 
they  could  not  stroll  in  the  moonlight,  but  a 
drive  back  and  a  few  turns  in  the  Bois  with  a 
little  supper  at  Madrid  would  be  a  fitting  end- 
ing to  the  day. 

"You  must  meet  us  at  Madrid  at  half-past 
ten,"  she  said;  "and  Dominic" — the  name 
came  out  as  if  from  long  habit  — "  telephone 
for  a  table  in  the  bosquet — Numero  3 — I  like 
that  gargon  best,  he  knows  my  wants." 

And  so  they  got  into  their  separate  automo- 
biles. 

"Let  us  have  all  the  windows  down,"  said 
Theodora,  "to  get  all  the  beautiful  air — it  is 
such  a  lovely  night." 

Her  heart  was  beating  as  it  had  never  beat 
before.     How  could  she  control  herself!     How 

127 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


keep  calm  and  ordinary  during  the  enchanting 
drive!  Her  hands  were  cold  as  ice,  while  flam- 
ing roses  burned  in  the  white  velvet  cheeks. 

And  Hector  saw  it  all  and  understood,  and 
passion  surged  madly  in  his  veins.  For  a  mile 
or  two  there  was  silence — only  the  moonlight 
and  the  swift  rushing  through  the  air,  and  the 
wild  beating  of  their  hearts.  And  so  they  came 
to  the  long,  dark  stretch  of  wood  by  St.  Cloud. 
And  the  devil  whispered  sophistries  and  fate 
continued  to  laugh.  Then  passion  was  too 
strong  for  him. 

"Darling,"  he  said,  and  his  fine  resolutions 
fled  to  the  winds,  while  his  deep  voice  was 
hoarse  and  broken.  "My  darling! — God!  I 
love  you  so — ^beyond  all  words  or  sense —  Oh, 
let  us  be  happy  for  this  one  night — we  must 
part  afterwards  I  know,  and  I  will  accept  that 
— ^but  just  for  to-night  there  can  be  no  sin  and 
no  harm  in  being  a  little  happy — when  we  are 
going  to  pay  for  it  with  all  the  rest  of  our 
lives.  Let  us  have  the  memory  of  one  hour  of 
bliss — the  angels  themselves  could  not  grudge 
us  that." 

One  hour  of  bliss  out  of  a  lifetime!  Would 
it  be  a  terrible  sin,  Theodora  wondered,  a  ter- 
rible, unforgivable  sin  to  let  him  kiss  her — to 
let  him  hold  her  just  once  in  his  arms. 

128 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


There  was  no  light  in  the  coupe — he  had  seen 
to  that — only  the  great  lamps  flaring  in  the 
road  and  the  moonlight. 

She  clasped  her  hands  in  an  agony  of  emo- 
tion. She  was  but  a  dove  in  the  net  of  an 
experienced  fowler,  but  she  did  not  know  or 
think  of  that,  nor  he  either.  They  only  knew 
they  loved  each  other  passionately,  and  this 
situation  was  more  than  they  could  bear, 

"Oh,  I  trust  you!"  she  said.  "If  you  tell 
me  it  is  not  a  terrible  sin  I  will  believe  you — I 
do  not  know — I  cannot  think — I — " 

But  she  could  speak  no  more  because  she 
was  in  his  arms. 

The  intense,  unutterable  joy — the  maddening, 
intoxicating  bliss  of  the  next  hour!  To  have 
her  there,  unresisting — to  caress  her  lips  and 
eyes  and  hair— to  murmur  love  words — to  call 
her  his  very  own!  Nothing  in  heaven  could 
equal  this,  and  no  hell  was  a  price  too  great 
to  pay — so  it  seemed  to  him.  It  was  the  su- 
premest  moment  of  his  life;  and  how  much 
more  of  hers  who  knew  none  other,  who  had 
never  received  the  kisses  of  men  or  thrilled  to 
any  touch  but  his! 

After  a  little  she  drew  herself  away  and 
shivered.  She  knew  she  was  wicked  now — 
very,  very  wicked — but  it  was  again  character- 

129 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Istic  of  her  that  having  made  her  decision  there 
was  no  vacillation  about  her.  The  die  was 
cast — for  that  night  they  were  to  be  happy, 
and  all  the  rest  of  her  life  should  be  penitence 
and  atonement. 

But  to-night  there  was  no  room  for  anything 
but  joy.  She  had  never  dreamed  in  her  most 
secret  thoughts  of  moments  so  gloriously  sweet 
as  these — to  have  a  lover — and  such  a  lover! 
And  it  was  true — it  must  be  true — that  they 
had  lived  before,  and  all  this  passion  was  not 
the  growth  of  one  short  week. 

It  seemed  as  if  it  was  all  her  life,  all  her 
being — it  could  mean  nothing  now  but  Hector 
— Hector — Hector!  And  over  and  over  again 
he  made  her  whisper  in  his  ear  that  she  loved 
him — nor  could  she  ever  tire  of  hearing  him 
say  he  worshipped  her. 

Oh,  they  were  foolish  and  tender  and  won- 
derful, as  lovers  always  are. 

He  had  given  his  orders  beforehand  and  the 
chauffeur  was  a  man  of  intelligence.  They 
drove  in  the  most  beautiful  alUe  when  they 
came  to  the  Bois — and  no  incident  ruffled  the 
exquisite  peace  and  bliss  of  their  time. 

Suddenly  Hector  became  aware  of  the  fact 
it  was  just  upon  half -past  ten,  and  they  were 
almost  in  sight  of  Madrid,  which  would  end  it  all. 

130 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


And  a  pang  of  hideous  pain  shot  through 
him,  and  he  did  not  speak. 

In  the  distance  the  hghts  blazed  into  the 
night,  and  the  sight  of  them  froze  Theodora 
to  ice. 

It  was  finished  then — their  hour  of  joy. 

"My  darHng,"  he  exclaimed,  passionately, 
"good-bye,  and  remember  all  my  life  is  in 
your  hands,  and  I  will  spend  it  in  worship  of 
you  and  thankfulness  for  this  hour  of  yourself 
you  have  given  to  me.  I  am  yours  to  do  with 
as  you  will  until  death  do  us  part." 

"And  I,"  said  Theodora,  "will  never  love 
another  man — and  if  we  have  sinned  we  have 
sinned  together  —  and  now,  oh,  Hector,  we 
must  face  our  fates." 

Her  voice  tore  his  very  heartstrings  in  its  un- 
utterable pathos. 

And  in  that  last  passionate  kiss  it  seemed  as 
if  they  exchanged  their  very  souls. 

Then  they  drove  into  the  glare  of  the  restau- 
rant lights,  having  tasted  of  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil. 


XIII 

"What  have  I  done?  What  have  I  done?" 
Hector  groaned  to  himself  in  anguish  as  he 
paced  up  and  down  his  room  at  the  Ritz  an 
hour  after  the  party  had  broken  up,  and  he 
had  driven  Mrs.  !Mc Bride  back  in  his  automo- 
bile, leaving  hers  to  father  and  daughter. 

All  through  sux^per  Theodora  had  sat  limp 
and  white  as  death,  and  evcrv^  time  she  had 
looked  at  him  her  eyes  had  reminded  him  of 
a  fawn  he  had  wounded  once  at  Bracondale,  in 
the  park,  with  his  bow  and  arrow,  when  he 
was  a  little  boy.  He  remembered  how  fear- 
fully proud  he  had  been  as  he  saw  it  fall,  and 
then  how  it  had  lain  in  his  arms  and  bled  and 
bled,  and  its  tender  eyes  had  gazed  at  him  in 
no  reproach,  only  sorrow  and  pain,  and  a  dumb 
asking  why  he  had  hurt  it. 

All  the  light  of  the  stars  seemed  quenched, 
no  eyes  in  the  world  had  ever  looked  so  un- 
utterably pathetic  as  Theodora's  eyes,  and 
gradually  as  they  sat  and  talked  platitudes  and 
chaffed  with  the  elderly  fiancees,  it  had  come 

132 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


to  him  how  cruel  he  had  been — he  who  had 
deHberately  used  every  art  to  make  her  love 
him — and  now,  having  gained  his  end,  what 
could  he  do  for  her  ?  What  for  himself  ?  Noth- 
ing but  sorrow  faced  them  both.  He  had  taken 
brutal  advantage  of  her  gentleness  and  inno- 
cence— ^when  chivalry  alone  should  have  made 
him  refrain. 

He  saw  himself  as  he  was — the  hunter  and 
she  the  hunted — and  the  knowledge  that  he 
would  pay  with  all  the  anguish  and  regret  of  a 
passionate,  hopeless  love — perhaps  for  the  rest 
of  his  life — did  not  balance  things  to  his  awak- 
ened soul.  If  his  years  should  be  one  long, 
gnawing  ache  for  her,  what  of  hers?  And  she 
was  so  young.  His  life,  at  all  events,  was  a 
free  one;  but  hers  tied  to  Josiah  Brown!  And 
this  thought  drove  him  to  madness.  She  be- 
longed to  Josiah  Brown — not  to  him  whom  she 
loved — ^but  to  Josiah  Brown,  plebeian  and  mid- 
dle-aged and  exacting.  He  knew  now  that  he 
ought  to  have  gone  away  at  once,  the  next  day 
after  they  had  met.  His  whole  course  of  con- 
duct had  been  weak  and  absolutely  self-indul- 
gent and  wicked. 

Who  was  he  to  dare  to  have  raised  his  eyes 
to  this  angel,  and  irf  to  scorch  even  the  hem 
of  her  clothing !     And  now  he  had  only  brought 

133 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


suffering  upon  her  and  dimmed  the  light  in 
God's  two  stars,  which  were  her  eyes. 

And  then  wild  passion  shook  him,  and  he 
could  only  live  again  the  divine  moments  when 
she  had  nestled  unresisting  in  his  arms.  Would 
it  have  made  things  better  or  worse  if  he  had 
not  yielded  to  the  temptation  of  that  hour  of 
night  and  solitude? 

After  all,  the  sin  was  in  making  her  love 
him,  not  in  just  holding  her  and  kissing  her 
lips.  And  at  least,  at  least,  they  would  have 
that  exquisite  memory  of  moments  of  unut- 
terable bliss  to  keep  for  the  rest  of  their 
lives. 

His  windows  were  wide  open,  and  he  leaned 
upon  the  balcony  and  gazed  out  at  the  moon. 
What  good  had  all  his  life  been  ?  What  benefit 
had  he  brought  to  any  one?  Then  he  seemed 
to  see  a  clear  vision  of  Theodora's  short  exist- 
ence. Every  picture  she  had  unconsciously 
shown  him  was  of  some  gentle  thought  of  un- 
selfishness for  others. 

And  now  he  had  laid  a  burden  upon  her 
shoulders,  when  he  w^ould  not  hurt  a  hair  of 
her  head — that  dear,  exquisite  head  which  had 
lain  upon  his  breast  only  two  hours  ago,  and 
could  never  lie  there  again.  He  knew  this  was 
the  end. 

134 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Then  anguish  and  remorse  seized  him,  and 
he  buried  his  face  on  his  crossed  arms. 

And  Theodora  staggered  up  to  her  room 
like  one  half  dead.  Mercifully  Josiah  Brown 
had  gone  to  bed,  leaving  a  message  with 
Kcnriette,  Theodora's  maid,  that  on  no  ac- 
count was  she  to  make  any  noise  or  disturb 
him. 

Henriette  adored  her  mistress — as  who  did 
not  who  served  her  ? — and  she  felt  distressed  to 
see  niadame  so  pale.  Doubtless  madame  had 
had  a  most  tiring  day.  Madame  had,  and  was 
thankful  when  at  last  she  was  left  alone  with 
her  thoughts.  Then  she,  too,  opened  wide  the 
windows  and  gazed  at  the  moon. 

She  had  no  cause  for  remorse  for  evil  con- 
duct like  Hector.  She  had  made  no  plans  for 
the  entrapping  of  any  soul,  and  yet  she  felt 
forlorn  and  wicked.  Oh  yes,  she  was  awake 
now  and  knew  where  she  had  been  drifting. 
And  so  love  had  come  at  last,  and  indeed,  in- 
deed it  meant  life.  This  blast  had  struck  her, 
and  she  had  been  blind  in  not  recognizing  it  at 
once. 

But  oh,  how  sweet  it  was!  —  love  —  and  it 
seemed  as  if  it  could  make  everything  good 
and  fair.  If  he  and  she  who  loved  each  other 
could  have  belonged  to  each  other,  surely  they 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


might  have  shed  joy  and  gladness  and  kindness 
on  all  around. 

Then  she  lay  on  her  bed  and  did  not  try  to 
reason  any  more;  she  only  knew  she  loved 
Hector  Bracondale  with  all  her  heart  and  be- 
ing, and  that  she  was  married  to  Josiah  Brown. 

And  what  would  the  days  be  when  she  never 
saw  him  ?  And  he,  too,  he  would  be  sad — and 
then  there  was  poor  Josiah — who  was  so  gen- 
erous to  her.  He  could  not  help  being  vulgar 
and  unsympathetic,  and  her  duty  was  to  make 
him  happy.  Well,  she  could  do  that,  she 
would  tr}^  her  very  best  to  do  that. 

But  thrills  ran  through  her  with  the  recollec- 
tion of  the  moments  in  the  drive  to  Paris — oh, 
why  had  no  one  told  her  or  warned  her  all  her 
life  about  this  good  thing  love  ?  At  last,  worn 
out  mth  all  emotions,  sleep  gently  closed  her 
eyes. 

And  fate  up  above  laughed  no  more.  Her 
sport  was  over  for  a  time,  she  had  made  a  sorry 
ending  to  their  happy  day. 


XIV 

JosiAH  had  been  too  much  fatigued  on  his 
machinery  hunt  with  Mr.  Clutterbuck  R. 
Tubbs.  They  had  lunched  too  richly,  he  said, 
and  stood  about  too  long,  and  so  all  the  Sunday 
he  was  peevish  and  fretful,  and  required  Theo- 
dora's constant  attention.  She  must  sit  by 
his  bedside  all  the  morning,  and  drive  round 
and  round  all  the  afternoon. 

He  told  her  she  was  not  looking  well.  These 
excursions  did  not  suit  either  of  them,  and  he 
would  be  glad  to  get  to  England. 

He  asked  a  few  questions  about  Versailles, 
and  Theodora  vouchsafed  no  imnecessary  in- 
formation. Nor  did  she  tell  him  of  her  father's 
good-fortune.  The  widow  had  expressly  asked 
her  not  to.  She  wished  it  to  appear  in  the 
New  York  Herald  first  of  all,  she  said.  And 
they  could  have  a  regular  rejoicing  at  the 
banquet  on  ]\Ionday  night. 

"Men  are  all  bad,"  she  had  told  Theodora 
during  their  ante-dinner  chat.  "  Selfish  brutes 
most  of  them ;  but  nature  has  arranged  that  we 

1.3  7 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


happen  to  want  them,  and  it  is  not  for  me  to 
go  against  nature.  Your  father  is  a  gentleman 
and  he  keeps  me  from  yawning,  and  I  have 
enough  money  to  be  able  to  indulge  that  and 
whatever  other  caprices  I  may  have  acquired; 
so  I  think  we  shall  be  happy.  But  a  man  in 
the  abstract — don't  amount  to  much!"  And 
Theodora  had  laughed,  but  now  she  wondered 
if  ever  she  w^ould  think  it  was  true.  Would 
Hector  ever  appear  in  the  light  of  a  caprice 
she  could  afford,  to  keep  her  from  yawning? 
Could  she  ever  truly  say,  "  He  don't  amount  to 
much!"  Alas!  he  seemed  now  to  amount  to 
everything  in  the  world. 

The  unspeakable  flatness  of  the  day!  The 
weariness!  The  sense  of  all  being  finished! 
She  did  not  even  allow  herself  to  speculate  as 
to  what  Hector  was  doing  with  himself.  She 
must  never  let  her  thoughts  turn  that  way  at 
all  if  she  could  help  it.  She  must  devote  her- 
self to  Josiah  and  to  getting  through  the  time. 
But  something  had  gone  out  of  her  life  which 
could  never  come  back,  and  also  something 
had  come  in.  She  was  awake — she,  too,  had 
lived  for  one  moment  like  in  Jean  d'Agreve — 
and  it  seemed  as  if  the  whole  world  were 
changed. 

Captain  Fitzgerald  did  not  appear  all  day, 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


so  the  Sunday  was  composed  of  unadulterated 
Josiah.  But  it  was  only  when  Theodora  was 
alone  at  last  late  at  night,  and  had  opened  wide 
her  windows  and  again  looked  out  on  the  moon, 
that  a  little  cry  of  anguish  escaped  her,  and  she 
remembered  she  would  see  Hector  to-morrow 
at  the  dinner-party.  See  him  casually,  as  the 
rest  of  the  guests,  and  this  is  how  it  would  be 
forever — for  ever  and  ever. 

Lord  Bracondale  had  passed  what  he  termed 
a  dog's  day.  He  had  gone  racing,  and  there 
had  met,  and  been  bitterly  reproached  by,  Es- 
clarmonde  de  Chartres  for  his  neglect. 

Qu'est-ce  quHl  a  eu  pour  toute  une  semaine  f 

He  had  important  business  in  England,  he 
said,  and  was  going  off  at  once;  but  she  would 
find  the  bracelet  she  had  wished  for  waiting 
for  her  at  her  apartment,  and  so  they  parted 
friends. 

He  felt  utterly  revolted  with  all  that  part  of 
his  life. 

He  wanted  nothing  in  the  world  but  Theo- 
dora. Theodora  to  worship  and  cherish  and 
hold  for  his  own.  And  each  hour  that  came 
made  all  else  seem  more  empty  and  unmean- 
ing. 

Just  before  dinner  he  went  into  the  widow's 
139 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


sitting-room.  She  was  alone,  Marie  had  said  in 
the  passage — resting,  she  thought,  but  madame 
would  certainly  see  milord.  She  had  given 
orders  for  him  to  be  admitted  should  he 
come. 

"  Now  sit  down  near  me,  beau  jeune  homme," 
Mrs.  McBride  commanded  from  the  depths  of 
her  sofa,  where  she  was  reclining,  arrayed  in 
exquisite  billows  of  chiffon  and  lace.  "  I  have 
been  expecting  you.  It  is  not  because  I  have 
been  indulging  in  a  little  sentiment  myself  that 
my  eyes  are  glued,  shut — you  have  a  great  deal 
to  confess — and  I  hope  we  have  not  done  too 
much  harm  between  us." 

Hector  wanted  sympathy,  and  there  was 
something  in  the  widow's  directness  which  he 
felt  would  soothe  him.  He  knew  her  good 
heart.  He  cou'.d  speak  freely  to  her,  too, 
without  being  troubled  by  an  over-delicacy  of 
mauvaise  honte,  as  he  would  have  been  with 
an  Englishwoman.  It  would  not  have  seemed 
sacrilege  to  the  widow  to  discuss  with  him^ 
who  was  a  friend — the  finest  and  most  tender 
sentiments  of  her  own,  or  any  one  else's,  heart. 
He  drew  up  a  hergcre  and  kissed  her  hand. 

"  I  have  been  behaving  like  a  damned  scoun- 
drel," he  said. 

"My    gracious!"    exclaimed    Mrs.    McBride, 
140 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


with   a   violent   jerk   into    a   sitting   position. 
"You  don't  say—" 

Then,  for  the  first  time  for  many  years,  a 
deep  scarlet  blush  overspread  Hector's  face, 
even  up  to  his  forehead — as  he  realized  how 
she  had  read  his  speech — how  most  people  of 
the  world  would  have  read  it.  He  got  up  from 
his  chair  and  walked  to  the  window. 

"Oh,  good  God!"  he  said, "  I  don't  mean  that." 

The  widow  fell  back  into  her  pillows  with  a 
sigh  of  relief. 

"  I  mean  I  have  deliberately  tried  to  make 
her  unhappy,  and  I  have  succeeded — and  my- 
self, too." 

"That  is  not  so  bad  then,"  and  she  settled 
a  cushion,  "  Because  imhappiness  is  only  a 
thing  for  a  time.  You  are  crazy  for  the  moon, 
and  you  can't  get  it,  and  you  grieve  and  curse 
for  a  little,  and  then  a  new  moon  arises.  What 
else?" 

"Well,  I  want  you  to  sympathize  with  me, 
and  tell  me  what  I  had  better  do.  Shall  I  go 
back  to  England  to-morrow  morning,  or  stay 
for  the  dinner-party?" 

"You  got  as  far,  then,  as  telling  each  other 
you  loved  each  other  madly  —  and  are  both 
suffering  from  broken  hearts,  after  one  week's 
acquaintance." 

xo  141 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Don't  be  so  brutal!"  pleaded  Hector. 

And  she  noticed  that  his  face  looked  haggard 
and  changed.  So  her  shrewd,  kind  eyes  beam- 
ed upon  him. 

"  Yes,  I  dare  say  it  hurts ;  but  having  broken 
up  your  cake,  you  can't  go  on  eating  it.  Why, 
in  Heaven's  name,  did  you  let  affairs  get  to  a 
climax?" 

"Because  I  am  mad,"  said  Hector,  and  he 
stretched  out  his  arms.  "I  cannot  tell  you 
how  much  I  love  her.  Haven't  you  seen  for 
yourself  what  a  darling  she  is?  Every  dear 
word  she  speaks  shows  her  beautiful  soul,  and 
it  all  creeps  right  into  my  heart.  I  worship 
her  as  I  might  an  angel,  but  I  want  her  in  my 
arms." 

Mrs.  McBride  knew  the  English.  They  were 
not  emotional  or  poseurs  like  some  other  na- 
tions, and  Hector  Bracondale  was  essentially 
a  man  of  the  world,  and  rather  a  whimsical 
cynic  as  well.  So  to  see  him  thus  moved  must 
mean  great  things.  She  w^as  guilty,  too,  for 
helping  to  create  the  situation.  She  must  do 
what  she  could  for  him,  she  felt. 

"You  should  pull  yourself  together,  mon 
cher  Bracondale,"  she  said;  "it  is  not  like  you 
to  be  limp  and  undecided.  You  had  better 
stay  for  the  party,  and  make  yourself  behave 

142 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


like  a  gentleman,  and  how  you  mean  to  con- 
tinue. We  have  passed  the  days  when  '  Oh  no, 
we  never  mention  him '  is  the  order,  and  '  never 
meeting,'  and  that  sort  of  thing.  You  are 
bound  to  meet  unless  you  go  into  the  wilds. 
And  you  must  face  it  and  try  to  forget  her." 

"I  can  never  forget  her,"  he  said,  in  a  deep 
voice;  "but,  as  you  say,  I  must  face  it  and  do 
my  best." 

"You  see,"  continued  the  widow,  "the  girl 
has  only  been  married  a  year,  and  her  hu,sband 
is  the  most  unattractive  human  being  you 
could  find  along  a  sidewalk  of  miles;  but  he 
is  her  husband,  any^vay,  and  she  may  have 
children." 

Hector  clinched  his  hands  in  a  convulsive 
movement  of  anguish  and  rage. 

"  And  you  must  realize  all  these  possibilities, 
and  settle  a  path  for  yourself  and  stick  to  it." 

"Oh,  I  couldn't  bear  that!"  he  said.  "It 
would  be  better  I  should  take  her  away  my- 
self now,  to-day." 

"You  will  do  no  such  thing!"  said  the 
widow,  sternly,  and  she  sat  up  again.  "You 
forget  I  am  going  to  marry  her  father,  and  I 
shall  look  upon  her  as  my  daughter  and  pro- 
tect her  from  wolves  —  do  you  hear  ?  And 
what  is  more,  she  is  too  good  and  true  to  go 

143 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


with  you.  She  has  a  backbone  if  you  haven't; 
and  she'll  see  it  her  duty  to  stick  to  that  lump 
of  middle  -  class  meat  she  is  bound  to  —  and 
she'll  do  her  best,  if  she  suffers  to  heart-break. 
It  is  she,  i^  poor,  little  white  dove,  that  you 
and  I  have  wounded  between  us,  that  I  pity, 
not  you — great,  strong  man!" 

J.Irs.  McBride's  eyes  flashed. 

"Oh,  you  are  all  the  same,  you  Englishmen. 
Beasts  to  kill  and  women  to  subjugate — the 
only  aims  in  life!" 

"Don't!"  said  Hector.     "I  am  not  the  ani- 
mal you  think  me.     I  worship  Theodora,  and  I 
Y\'ould  devote  my  life  and  its  best  aims  to  se-  . 
cure   her   happiness    and   do   her   honor ;    but  ■ 
don't  you  see  you  have  drawn  a  picture  that 
would  drive  any  man  mad — " 

"  I  said  you  had  to  face  the  worst,  and  I  cal- 
culate the  v/orst  for  you  would  be  to  see  her 
with  some  little  Browns  along.  My!  How  it 
makes  you  wince!  Well,  fa.ce  it  then  and  be  a 
man." 

He  sat  for  a  moment,  his  hsad  buried  in  his 
hands — then — 

"I  will,"  he  said,  "I  will  do  what  I  can; 
but  oh,  when  you  have  the  chance  you  will  be 
good  to  her,  won't  you,  dear  friend?" 

"There,   there!"   said  the  widow,   and  she 
144 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


patted  his  hand.  "  I  had  to  scold  you,  be- 
cause I  see  you  have  got  the  attack  very  badly 
and  only  strong  measures  are  any  good;  but 
you  know  I  am  sorry  for  you  both,  and  feel 
dreadfully,  because  I  helped  you  to  it  without 
enough  thought  as  to  consequences." 

There  was  silence  for  a  few  minutes,  and  she 
continued  to  stroke  his  hand. 

"  Dominic  has  run  down  to  Dieppe  to  see 
those  daughters  of  his,"  she  said,  presently, 
"and  won't  be  back  to-night.  I  meant  to  be 
all  alone  and  meditate  and  go  to  bed  early; 
but  you  can  dine  with  me,  if  you  wish,  up 
here,  and  we  will  talk  everything  over.  Our 
plans  for  the  future,  I  mean,  and  what  will  be 
best  to  do;  I  kind  of  feel  like  your  mother-in- 
law,  you  know."  Which  sentence  comforted 
him. 

This  woman  was  his  friend,  and  so  kind  of 
heart,  if  sometimes  a  little  plain-spoken. 

And  late  that  night  he  wrote  to  Theodora. 

"My  darling,"  he  began.  "I  must  call  you 
that  even  though  I  have  no  right  to.  My  dar- 
ling— I  want  to  tell  you  these  my  thoughts 
to-night,  before  I  see  you  to-morrow  as  an 
ordinary  guest  at  your  dinner-party.  I  want 
you  to  know  how  utterly  I  love  you,  and  how 

145 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


I  am  going  to  do  my  best  with  the  rest  of  my 
life  to  show  you  how  I  honor  you  and  revere 
you  as  an  angel,  and  something  to  live  for  and 
shape  my  aims  to  be  worthy  of  the  recollection 
of  that  hour  of  bliss  you  granted  me.  Dearest 
love,  does  it  not  give  you  joy — just  a  little — 
to  remember  those  moments  of  heaven?  I  do 
not  regret  anything,  though  I  am  all  to  blame, 
for  I  knew  from  the  beginning  I  loved  you, 
and  just  where  love  would  lead  us.  But  it 
was  not  tintil  I  saw  the  peep  into  your  soul, 
when  you  never  reproached  me,  that  I  began 
to  understand  what  a  brute  I  had  been — how 
unworthy  of  you  or  your  love.  Darling,  I 
don't  ask  you  to  try  and  forget  me — indeed,  I 
implore  you  not  to  do  so.  I  think  and  believe 
you  are  of  the  nature  which  only  loves  once  in 
a  lifetime,  and  I  am  world-worn  and  experi- 
enced enough  to  know  I  have  never  really  loved 
before.  How  passionately  I  do  now  I  cannot 
put  into  words.  So  let  us  keep  our  love 
sacred  in  our  hearts,  my  darling,  and  the 
knowledge  of  it  will  comfort  and  soothe  the 
anguish  of  separation.  Beloved  one,  I  am  al- 
ways thinking  of  you,  and  I  want  to  tell  you 
my  vision  of  heaven  would  be  to  possess  you 
for  my  wife.  My  happiest  dream  will  always 
be  that  you  are  there — at  Bracondale — queen 

146 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


of  my  home  and  my  heart,  darling.  My  dar- 
ling! But  however  it  may  be,  whether  you 
decide  to  chase  away  every  thought  of  me  or 
not,  I  want  you  to  know  I  will  go  on  worship- 
ping you,  and  doing  my  utmost  to  serve  you 
with  my  life. — For  ever  and  ever  your  devoted 
lover." 

And  then  he  signed  it  "Hector,"  and  not 
"Bracondale." 

The  widow  had  promised  to  give  it  into 
Theodora's  own  hand  on  the  morrow. 

He  added  a  postscript : 

"  I  want  you  to  meet  my  mother  and  my 
sister  in  London.  Will  you  let  me  arrange  it? 
I  think  you  will  like  Anne.  And  oh,  more 
than  all  I  want  you  to  come  to  Bracondale. 
Write  me  your  answer  that  I  may  have  your 
words  to  keep  always." 

Mrs.  Mc Bride  came  round  in  the  morning  to 
the  private  hotel  in  the  Avenue  du  Bois,  to 
ask  the  exact  time  of  the  dinner-party,  she 
said.  She  wanted  to  see  for  herself  how 
things  were  going.  And  the  look  in  Theo- 
dora's eyes  grieved  her. 

"  I  am  afraid  it  has  gone  rather  deeply  with 
her,"  she  mused.     "Now  what  can  I  do?" 

Theodora  was  imusually  sweet  and  gentle, 
147 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


and  talked  brightly  of  how  glad  she  was  for 
her  father's  happiness,  and  of  their  plans  about 
England;  but  all  the  time  Jane  McBride  was 
conscious  that  the  something  which  had  made 
her  eyes  those  stars  of  gracious  happiness  was 
changed — instead  there  was  a  deep  pathos  in 
them,  and  it  made  her  uncomfortable. 

"  I  wish  to  goodness  I  had  let  well  alone,  and 
not  tried  to  give  her  a  happy  day,"  she  said  to 
herself. 

Just  before  leaving,  she  slipped  Hector's  let- 
ter into  Theodora's  hand.  "  Lord  Bracondale 
asked  me  to  give  you  this,  my  child,"  she  said, 
and  she  kissed  her.  "And  if  you  will  write 
the  answer,  will  you  post  it  to  him  to  the 
Ritz." 

All  over  Theodora  there  rushed  an  emotion 
when  she  took  the  letter.  Her  hands  trembled, 
and  she  slipped  it  into  the  bodice  of  her  dress. 
She  would  not  be  able  to  read  it  yet.  She  was 
waiting,  all  ready  dressed,  for  Josiah  to  enter 
any  moment,  to  take  their  usual  walk  in  the 
Bois. 

Then  she  wondered  what  would  the  widow 
think  of  her  action,  slipping  it  into  her  dress — 
but  it  was  done  now,  and  too  late  to  alter. 
And  their  eyes  met,  and  she  understood  that 
her  future  step  -  mother  was  wide  awake  and 

148 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


knew  a  good  many  things.  But  the  kind 
woman  put  her  arm  round  her  and  kissed  her 
soft  cheek. 

"  I  want  you  to  be  my  little  daughter,  Theo- 
dora," she  said.  "And  if  you  have  a  heart- 
ache, dear,  why  I  have  nad  them,  too — and  I'd 
like  to  comfort  you.     There!" 


XV 


The  dinner-party  went  off  with  great  eclat. 
Had  not  all  the  guests  read  in  the  New  York 
Herald  that  morning  of  Captain  Fitzgerald's 
good- fortune?  He  with  his  usual  savoir-vivre 
had  arranged  matters  to  perfection.  The  com- 
pany was  chosen  from  among  the  nicest  of  his 
and  Mrs.  McBride's  friends. 

The  invitations  had  been  couched  in  this 
form:  "  I  want  you  to  meet  my  daughter,  Mrs. 
Josiah  Brown,  my  dear  lady,"  or  "dear  fel- 
low," as  the  case  might  be.  "She  is  having  a 
little  dinner  at  Madrid  on  Monday  night,  and 
so  hopes  you  will  let  me  persuade  you  to  come. " 

And  the  French  Count,  and  Mr.  Clutter- 
buck  R.  Tubbs  and  his  daughter,  Theodora  had 
asked  herself.  Also  the  Austrian  Prince.  The 
party  consisted  of  about  twenty  people — and 
the  menu  and  the  Tziganes  were  as  perfect  as 
they  could  be,  while  the  night  might  have  been 
a  night  of  July — it  happened  to  be  that  year 
when  Paris  was  blessed  with  a  gloriously  warm 
May. 

ISO 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Lord  Bracondale  was  late:  had  not  the  post 
come  in  just  as  he  was  starting,  and  brought 
him  a  letter,  whose  writing,  although  he  had 
never  seen  it  before,  filled  him  with  thrills  of 

joy-  ^     ^ 

Theodora  had  found  time  dunng  the  day  to 
read  and  reread  his  epistle,  and  to  kiss  it  more 
than  once  with  a  guilty  blush. 

And  she  had  written  this  answer: 

"I  have  received  your  letter,  and  it  says  many 
things  to  me — and,  Hector,  it  will  comfort  me  always, 
this  dear  letter,  and  to  know  you  love  me. 

"I  have  led  a  very  ordinary  life,  you  see,  and  the 
great  blast  of  love  has  never  come  my  way,  or  to  any 
one  whom  I  knew.  I  did  not  realize,  quite,  it  was  a 
real  thing  out  of  books — but  now  I  know  it  is;  and 
oh,  I  can  believe,  if  circumstances  were  different,  it 
could  be  heaven.  But  this  cannot  alter  the  fact  that 
for  me  to  think  of  you  much  would  be  very  wrong 
now.  I  do  love  you — I  do  not  deny  it — though  I 
am  going  to  try  my  utmost  to  put  the  thought  away 
from  me  and  to  live  my  life  as  best  I  can.  I  do  not 
regret  anything  either,  dear,  because,  but  for  you,  I 
would  never  have  known  what  life's  meaning  is  at 
all — I  should  have  stayed  asleep  always;  and  you 
have  opened  my  eyes  and  taught  me  to  see  new 
beauties  in  all  nature.  And  oh,  we  must  not  grieve, 
we  must  thank  fate  for  giving  us  this  one  peep  into 
paradise  —  and  we  must  try  and  find  the  angel  to 
steer  our  barks  for  us  beyond  the  rocks.  Listen — I 
want  you  to  do  something  for  me  to-night.  I  want 
you  not  to  look  at  me  much,  or  tempt  me  with  your 

151 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


dear  voice.  It  will  be  terribly  hard  in  any  case,  but 
if  you  will  be  kind  you  will  help  me  to  get  through 
with  it,  and  then,  and  then — I  hardly  dare  to  look 
ahead — but  I  leave  it  all  in  your  hands.  I  would 
like  to  meet  your  mother  and  sister — but  when,  and 
where?  I  feel  inclined  to  say,  not  yet,  only  I  know 
that  is  just  cowardice,  and  a  shrinking  from  possible 
pain  in  seeing  you.  So  I  leave  it  to  you  to  do  what 
is  best,  and  I  trust  to  your  honor  and  your  love  not 
to  tempt  me  beyond  bearing-point — and  remember, 
I  am  trying,  trying  hard,  to  do  what  is  right — and 
trying  not  to  love  you. 

"And  so,  good-bye.  I  must  never  say  this  again 
■ — or  even  think  it  unsaid;  but  to-night,  oh!  Yes, 
Hector,  know  that  I  love  you!  Theodora." 

And  all  the  way  to  Madrid,  as  he  flew  along 
in  his  automobile,  his  heart  rejoiced  at  this  one 
sentence — "Yes,  Hector,  know  that  I  love 
you!" 

The  rest  of  the  world  did  not  seem  to  matter 
very  much.  How  fortunate  it  is  that  so  often 
Providence  lets  us  live  on  the  pleasure  of  the 
moment ! 

He  sat  on  her  left  hand — the  Austrian  Prince 
was  on  her  right — and  studiously  all  through 
the  repast  he  tried  to  follow  her  wishes  and 
the  law  he  had  laid  down  for  himself  as  the 
pattern  of  his  future  conduct. 

He  was  gravely  polite,  he  never  turned  the 
conversation  away  from  the  general  company, 

152 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


including  her  neighbors  in  it  all  the  time,  and 
only  when  he  was  certain  she  was  not  noticing 
did  he  feast  his  eyes  upon  her  face. 

She  was  looking  supremely  beautiful.  If 
possible,  whiter  than  usual,  and  there  was  a 
shadow  in  her  eyes  as  of  mystery,  which  had 
not  been  there  before — and  while  their  pathos 
wrung  his  heart,  he  could  not  help  perceiving 
their  added  beauty.  And  he  had  planted  this 
change  there — he,  and  he  alone.  He  admired 
her  perfect  taste  in  dress — she  was  all  in  pure 
white,  muslin  and  laces,  and  he  knew  it  was  of 
the  best,  and  the  creation  of  the  greatest  artist. 

She  looked  just  what  his  wife  ought  to  look, 
infinitely  refined  and  slender  and  stately  and 
fair, 

T^Iorella  Winmarleigh  would  seem  as  a  large 
dun  cow  beside  her. 

Then  suddenly  they  both  remembered  it  was 
only  a  week  this  night  since  they  had  met. 
Only  seven  days  in  which  fate  had  altered  all 
their  lives. 

The  Austrian  Prince  wondered  to  himself 
what  had  happened.  He  had  not  been  blind 
to  the  situation  at  Armenonville,  and  here 
they  seemed  like  polite  hostess  and  guest, 
nothing  more. 

"They  are  English,  and  they  are  very  well 
153 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


bred,  and  they  are  very  good  actors,"  he 
thought.  "  But,  mon  Dieu!  were  I  ce  beau 
jeune  homme!" 

And  so  it  had  come  to  an  end — the  feast 
and  the  Tziganes  playing,  and  Theodora  will 
always  be  haunted  by  that  last  wild  Hungarian 
tune.  Music,  which  moved  every  fibre  of  her 
being  at  all  times,  to-night  was  a  torture  of 
pain  and  longing.  And  he  was  so  near,  so 
near  and  yet  so  far,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the 
music  meant  love  and  separation  and  pas- 
sionate regret,  and  the  last  air  most  passionate 
of  all,  and  before  the  final  notes  died  away 
Hector  bent  over  to  her,  and  he  whispered: 

"  I  have  got  your  letter,  and  I  love  you,  and 
I  will  obey  its  every  wish.  You  must  trust  me 
unto  death.  Darling,  good-night,  but  never 
good-bye!" 

And  she  had  not  answered,  but  her  breath 
had  come  quickly,  and  she  had  looked  once  in 
his  eyes  and  then  away  into  the  night. 

And  so  they  shook  hands  politely  and  part- 
ed. And  next  day  Mr.  and  Mrs,  Josiah  Brown 
crossed  over  to  England. 


XVI 

It  was  pouring  with  rain  the  evening  Lord 
Bracondale  arrived  from  Paris  at  the  family 
mansion  in  St.  James's  Square.  He  had  only- 
wired  at  the  last  moment  to  his  mother,  too 
late  to  change  her  plans;  she  was  unfortu- 
nately engaged  to  take  ^lorella  Winmarleigh  to 
the  opera,  and  was  dining  early  at  that  lady's 
house,  so  she  could  only  see  him  for  a  few  mo- 
ments in  her  dressing-room  before  she  started. 

"My  darling,  darling  boy!"  she  exclaimed, 
as  he  opened  the  door  and  peeped  in.  "  Streat- 
field,  bring  that  chair  for  his  lordship,  and — 
oh,  you  can  go  for  a  few  minutes." 

Then  she  folded  him  in  her  arms,  and  almost 
sobbed  with  joy  to  see  him  again. 

"  Well,  mother,"  he  said,  when  she  had  kissed 
him  and  murmured  over  him  as  much  as  she 
wished.  "Here  I  am,  and  what  a  sickening 
climate!     And  where  are  you  off  to?" 

"I  am  going  to  dine  with  Morella  Win- 
marleigh," said  Lady  Bracondale,  "early,  to  go 
to  the  opera,  and  then  I  shall  take  her  on  to 

155 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


the  Brantingham's  ball.  Won't  you  join  us  at 
either  place,  Hector?  I  feel  it  so  dreadfully, 
having  to  rush  off  like  this,  your  first  evening, 
darling."  » 

She  stood  back  and  looked  at  him.  She 
must  see  for  herself  whether  he  was  well,  and 
if  this  riotous  life  she  feared  he  had  been  lead- 
ing lately  had  not  too  greatly  told  upon  him. 
Her  fond  eyes  detected  an  air  of  weariness :  he 
looked  haggard,  and  not  so  full  of  spirits  as  he 
usually  was.  Alas!  if  he  would  only  stay  in 
England! 

"  I  am  rather  tired,  mother;  I  may  look  in  at 
the  opera,  but  I  can't  face  a  ball.  How  is 
Anne,  and  what  is  she  doing  to-night  ?"  he  said. 

"Anne  has  a  bad  cold.  We  have  had  such 
weather — nothing  but  rain  since  Sunday  night ! 
She  is  dining  at  home  and  going  to  bed  early. 
I  have  just  had  a  telephone  message  from  her; 
she  is  longing  to  see  you,  too." 

"  I  think  I  shall  go  round  and  dine  with  her 
then,"  said  Hector,  "and  join  you  later." 

They  talked  on  for  about  ten  minutes  before 
he  left  her  to  dress,  running  against  Streatfield 
in  the  passage.  She  had  known  him  since  his 
birth,  and  beamed  with  joy  at  his  return. 

He  chaffed  her  about  growing  fat,  and  went 
on  his  way  to  telephone  to  his  sister. 

1^6 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"His  lordship  looks  pale,  my  lady,"  said  the 
demure  woman,  as  she  fastened  Lady  Bracon- 
dale's  bracelet.  She,  too,  disapproved  of  Paris 
and  bachelorhood,  but  she  did  not  love  Morella 
Winmarleigh. 

"Oh,  you  think  so,  Streatfield?"  Lady  Bra- 
condale  exclaimed,  in  a  worried  voice.  "Now 
that  we  have  got  him  back  we  must  take  great 
care  of  him.  His  lordship  will  join  me  at  the 
opera.  Are  you  sure  he  likes  those  aigrettes  in 
my  hair?" 

"Why,  it's  one  of  his  lordship's  favorite 
styles,  my  lady.  You  need  have  no  fears," 
said  the  maid. 

And  thus  comforted,  Lady  Bracondale  de- 
scended the  great  staircase  to  her  carriage. 

She  was  still  a  beautiful  woman,  though  well 
past  fifty.  Her  splendid,  dark  hair  had  hardly 
a  thread  of  gray  in  it,  and  grew  luxuriantly, 
but  she  insisted  upon  wearing  it  simply  parted 
in  the  middle  and  coiled  in  a  mass  of  plaits  be- 
hind, while  one  braid  stood  up  coronet  fashion 
well  at  the  back  of  her  head.  She  was  addict- 
ed to  rich  satins  and  velvets,  and  had  a  general 
air  of  Victorian  repose  and  decorum.  There 
was  no  attempt  to  retain  departed  youth;  no 
golden  wigs  or  red  and  white  paint  disfigured 
her  person,  which  had  an  immense  natural  dig- 
IX  157 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


nity  and  stateliness.  It  made  her  shiver  to 
see  some  of  her  contemporaries  dressed  and 
arranged  to  represent  not  more  than  twenty 
years  of  age.  But  so  many  modern  ways  of 
thought  and  life  jarred  upon  her! 

"Mother  is  still  in  the  early  seventies;  she 
has  never  advanced  a  step  since  she  came  out," 
Anne  always  said,  "  and  I  dare  say  she  was  be- 
hind the  times  even  then." 

Meanwhile,  Hector  was  dressing  in  his  luxu- 
rious m.ahogany-panelled  room.  Everything  in 
the  house  was  solid  and  prosperous,  as  befitted 
a  family  who  had  had  few  reverses  and  suffi- 
cient perspicacity  to  marry  a  rich  heiress  now 
and  then  at  right  moments  in  their  history. 

This  early  Georgian  house  had  been  in  the 
then  Lady  Bracondale's  dower,  and  still  re- 
tained its  fine  car\dngs  and  Old- World  state. 

"How  shall  I  see  her  again?"  was  all  the 
thought  which  ran  in  Lord  Bracondale's  head. 

"She  won't  be  at  a  ball,  but  she  might 
chance  to  have  thought  of  the  opera.  It 
would  be  a  place  Mr.  Brown  would  like  to  ex- 
hibit her  at.     I  shall  certainly  go." 

Lady  Anningford  was  tucked  up  on  a  sofa  in 
her  little  sitting-room  when  her  brother  ar- 
rived at  her  charming  house  in  Charles  Street. 
Her  husband  had  been  sent  off  to  a  dinner 

158 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


without  her,  and  she  was  expecting  her  brother 
with  impatience.  She  loved  Hector  as  many 
sisters  do  a  handsome,  popular  brother,  but 
rather  more  than  that,  and  she  had  fine  senses 
and  understood  him. 

She  did  not  cover  him  with  caresses  and  en- 
dearments when  she  saw  him;  she  never  did. 

"Poor  Hector  has  enough  of  them  from 
mother,"  she  explained,  when  l^.Ionica  Eller- 
wood  asked  her  once  why  she  was  so  cold. 
"And  men  don't  care  for  those  soii;  of  things, 
except  from  some  one  else's  sister  or  wife." 

"Dear  old  boy!"  was  all  she  said  as  he 
came  in.     "I  am  glad  to  see  you  back." 

Then  in  a  moment  or  two  they  went  down 
to  dinner,  talking  of  various  things.  And  all 
through  it,  while  the  servants  v/ere  in  the 
room,  she  prattled  about  Paris  and  their 
friends  and  the  gossip  of  the  day ;  and  she  had 
a  shocking  cold  in  her  head,  too,  and  might 
well  have  been  forgiven  for  being  dull. 

But  when  they  were  at  last  alone,  back  in 
the  little  sitting-room,  she  looked  at  him  hard, 
and  her  voice,  which  was  rather  deep  like  his, 
grew  full  of  tenderness  as  she  asked:  "What  is 
it,  Hector?  Tell  me  about  it  if  I  can  help 
you." 

He  got  up  and  stood  with  his  back  to  the 
159 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


wood  fire,  which  sparkled  in  the  grate,  com- 
forting the  eye  with  its  brightness,  while  the 
wind  and  rain  moaned  outside. 

"You  can't  help  me,  Anne;  no  one  can,"  he 
said.  "  I  have  been  rather  badly  burned,  but 
there  is  nothing  to  be  done.  It  is  my  own 
fault — so  one  must  just  bear  it." 

"Is  it  the  —  eh  —  the  Frenchwoman?"  his 
sister  asked,  gently. 

"Good  Lord,  no!" 

"  Or  the  American  Monica  came  back  so  full 
of?" 

"The  American?  What  American?  Surely 
she  did  not  mean  my  dear  Mrs.  McBride?" 

"I  don't  know  her  name,"  Anne  said,  "and 
I  don't  want  you  to  say  a  thing  about  it,  dear, 
if  I  can't  help  you;  only  it  just  grieves  me  to 
see  you  looking  so  sad  and  distrait,  so  I  felt  I 
must  try  if  there  is  anything  I  can  do  for  you. 
Mother  has  been  on  thorns  and  dying  of  fuss 
over  this  Frenchwoman  and  the  diamond  chain 
— ("How  the  devil  did  she  hear  about  that?" 
thought  Hector) — until  Monica  came  back  with 
a  tale  of  your  devotion  to  an  American." 

"One  would  think  I  was  eighteen  years  old 
and  in  leading-strings  still,  upon  my  word,"  he 
interrupted,  with  an  irritated  laugh.  "When 
will  she  realize  I  can  take  care  of  myself?" 

1 60 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Never,"  said  Lady  Anningford,  "until  you 
have  married  Morella  Winmarleigh ;  then  she 
would  feel  you  were  in  good  hands." 

He  laughed  again — bitterly  this  time. 

"Morella  Winmarleigh!  I  would  not  be 
faithful  to  her  for  a  week!" 

"  I  wonder  if  you  would  be  faithful  to  any 
woman,  Hector?  I  have  often  thought  you 
do  not  know  what  it  means  to  love — really  to 
love." 

"You  were  perfectly  right  once.  I  did  not 
know,"  he  said;  "and  perhaps  I  don't  now,  un- 
less to  feel  the  whole  world  is  a  sickening  blank 
without  one  woman  is  to  love— really  to  love." 

Anne  noticed  the  weariness  of  his  pose  and 
the  vibration  in  his  deep  voice.  She  was 
stirred  and  interested  as  she  had  never  been. 
This  dear  brother  of  hers  was  not  wont  to  care 
very  much.  In  the  past  it  had  always  been 
the  women  who  had  sighed  and  longed  and  he 
who  had  been  amused  and  pleased.  She  could 
not  remember  a  single  occasion  in  the  last  ten 
years  when  he  had  seemed  to  suffer,  although 
she  had  seen  him  apparently  devoted  to  num- 
bers of  women. 

"And  Vv'hat  are  you  going  to  do?"  she  asked, 
with  sympathy.     "She  is  married,  of  course?" 

"Yes." 

i6i 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"  Hector,  don't  you  want  me  to  speak  about 
it?" 

He  took  a  chair  now  by  his  sister's  sofa,  and 
he  began  to  turn  over  the  papers  rather  fast 
which  lay  on  a  table  near  by. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  he  said,  "because,  after  all,  you 
can  do  something  for  me.  I  want  you  to  be 
particularly  kind  to  her,  will  you,  Anne,  dear?" 

"  But,  of  course;  only  you  must  tell  me  who 
she  is  and  where  I  shall  find  her." 

"You  will  find  her  at  Claridge's,  and  she  is 
only  the  wife  of  an  impossible  Australian  mill- 
ionaire called  Brown — Josiah  Brown." 

"Poor  dear  Hector,  how  terrible!"  thought 
Anne.  "It  is  not  the  American,  then?"  she 
said,  aloud. 

"There  never  was  any  American,"  he  ex- 
claimed. "Monica  is  the  most  ridiculous  gos- 
sip, and  always  sees  wrong.  If  she  had  not 
Jack  to  keep  her  from  talking  so  much  she 
would  not  leave  one  of  us  with  a  rag  of  char- 
acter." 

"  I  will  go  to-morrow  and  call  there,  Hector," 
Lady  Anningford  said.  "  My  cold  is  sure  to  be 
better;  and  if  she  is  not  in,  shall  I  write  a  note 
and  ask  her  to  lunch?  The  husband,  too,  I 
suppose?" 

"I  fear  so.     Anne,  you  are  a  brick." 
162 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Then  he  said  good-night,  and  went  to  the 
opera. 

Left  to  herself,  Lady  Anningford  thought: 
"  I  suppose  she  is  some  flashy,  pretty  creature 
who  has  caught  Hector's  fancy,  the  poor  dar- 
ling. One  never  has  chanced  to  find  an  Aus- 
tralian quite,  quite  a  lady.  I  almost  wish  he 
would  marry  Morella  and  have  done  with  it." 

Then  she  lay  on  her  sofa  and  pondered  many 
things. 

She  was  a  year  older  than  her  brother,  and 
they  had  always  been  the  closest  friends  and 
comrades. 

Lady  Anningford  was  more  or  less  a  happy 
and  contented  woman  now,  but  there  had  been 
moments  in  her  life  scorched  by  passion  and 
infinite  pain.  Long  ago  in  the  beginning  when 
she  first  came  out  she  had  had  the  misfortune 
to  fall  in  love  with  Cyril  Lamont,  married  and 
bad  and  attractive.  It  had  given  him  great 
pleasure  to  evade  the  eye  of  Lady  Bracondale, 
pure  dragon  and  strict  disciplinarian.  Anne 
was  a  good  girl,  but  she  was  eighteen  years  old 
and  had  tasted  no  joy.  She  was  not  an  easy 
prey,  and  her  first  year  had  passed  in  storms 
of  emotion  suppressed  to  the  best  of  her  powers. 

The  situation  had  been  full  of  shades  and 
contrasts.     The   outward,    a   strictly   guarded 

163 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


lamb,  the  life  of  the  world  and  aristocratic 
propriety;  and  the  inward,  a  daily  growing 
mad  love  for  an  impossible  person,  snatched 
and  secret  meetings  after  tea  in  country- 
houses,  walks  in  Kensington  Gardens,  rides 
along  lonely  lanes  out  hunting,  and,  finally, 
the  brink  of  complete  ruin  and  catastrophe — 
but  for  Hector. 

"Where  should  I  be  now  but  for  Hector?" 
her  thoughts  ran. 

Hector  was  just  leaving  Eton  in  those  days, 
and  had  come  up  and  discovered  matters,  while 
she  sobbed  in  his  arms,  at  the  beginning  of  her 
second  season.  He  had  comforted  her  and 
never  scolded  a  word,  and  then  he  had  gone 
out  armed  with  a  heavy  hunting-crop,  foimd 
Cyril  Lamont,  and  had  thrashed  the  man 
within  an  inch  of  his  life.  It  was  one  of  Hec- 
tor's pleasantest  recollections,  the  thought  of 
his  cowering  form,  his  green  silk  smoking- 
jacket  all  torn,  and  his  eyes  sightless.  Cyril 
Lamont' s  talents  had  not  run  in  the  art  of  self- 
defence,  and  he  had  been  very  soon  powerless 
in  the  hands  of  this  young  athlete. 

The  Lamonts  went  abroad  that  night,  and 
stayed  there  for  quite  six  months,  during 
which  time  Anne  mended  her  broken  heart 
and  saw  the  folly  of  her  ways. 

164 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Hector  and  she  had  never  alluded  to  the 
matter  all  these  years,  only  they  were  intimate 
friends  and  understood  each  other. 

Lady  Bracondale  adored  Hector  and  was 
fond  of  Anne,  but  had  no  comprehension  of 
either.  Anne  was  a  frondeuse,  while  her 
mother's  mind  was  fashioned  in  carved  lines 
and  strict  boundaries  of  thought  and  action. 


XVII 

Meanwhile,  Hector  reached  the  opera,  and 
made  his  way  to  the  omnibus  box  where  he 
had  his  seat. 

He  felt  he  could  not  stand  Morella  Winmar- 
leigh  just  yet.  The  second  act  of  "Faust" 
was  almost  over,  and  with  his  glass  he  swept 
the  rows  of  boxes  in  vain  to  find  Theodora. 
He  sat  a  few  minutes,  but  restlessness  seized 
him.  He  must  go  to  the  other  side  and  ascer- 
tain if  she  could  be  discov^ered  from  there. 
Morella  Winmarleigh's  box  commanded  a  good 
view  for  this  purpose,  so  after  all  he  would 
face  her. 

He  looked  up  at  her  opposite.  She  sat 
there  with  his  mother,  and  she  seemed  more 
thoroughly  wholesomely  unattractive  than  ever 
to  him. 

He  hated  that  shade  of  turquoise  blue  she 
was  so  fond  of,  and  those  unmeaning  bits  and 
bows  she  had  stuck  about.  She  was  a  large 
yoimg  woman  with  a  stolid  English  fairness. 

Her  hair  had  the  flaxen  ends  and  sandy  roots 
1 66 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


one  so  often  sees  in  those  women  whose  locks 
have  been  golden  as  children.  It  was  a  thin, 
dank  kind  of  hair,  too,  with  no  glints  any- 
where. Her  eyes  were  blue  and  large  and 
meaningless  and  rather  prominent,  and  her 
lightish  eyelashes  seemed  to  give  no  shade  to 
them. 

Morella's  orbs  just  looked  out  at  you  like 
the  bow-windows  of  a  sea-side  villa — staring 
and  commonplace.  Her  features  were  regular, 
and  her  complexion,  if  somewhat  all  too  red, 
was  fresh  withal ;  so  that,  possessing  an  income 
of  many  thousands,  she  passed  for  a  beauty  of 
exceptional  merit. 

She  had  a  good  maid  who  used  her  fingers 
dexterously,  and  did  what  she  could  with  a 
mistress  devoid  of  all  sense  of  form  or  color. 

Miss  Winmarleigh  went  to  the  opera  regu- 
larly and  sat  solidly  through  it.  The  music 
said  nothing  to  her,  but  it  was  the  right  place 
for  her  to  be,  and  she  could  talk  to  her  friends 
before  going  on  to  the  numerous  balls  she  at- 
tended. 

If  she  loved  anything  in  the  world  she  loved 
Hector  Bracondale,  but  her  feelings  gave  her 
no  anxieties.  He  would  certainly  many  her 
presently,  the  affair  would  be  so  suitable  to  all 
parties;  meanwhile,  there  was  plenty  of  time, 

167 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


and  all  was  in  order.  The  perfect  method  of 
her  account-books,  in  which  the  last  sixpence 
she  spent  in  the  day  was  duly  entered,  trans- 
lated itself  to  her  life.  Method  and  order  were 
its  watchwords;  and  if  the  people  who  knew 
her  intimately  —  such  as  her  chaperon,  Mrs. 
Herrick,  and  her  maid,  Gibson — thought  her 
mean,  she  was  not  aware  of  their  opinion,  and 
went  her  way  in  solid  rejoicing. 

Lady  Bracondale  was  really  attached  to  her. 
Morella's  decorum,  her  absence  of  all  daring 
thought  in  conversation,  pleased  her  so.  She 
had  none  of  that  feeling  when  with  Miss  Win- 
marleigh  she  suffered  in  the  company  of  her 
daughter  Anne,  who  said  things  so  often  she 
did  not  quite  imderstand,  yet  which  she  dimly 
felt  might  have  two  meanings,  and  one  of 
them  a  meaning  she  most  probably  would  dis- 
approve of. 

She  loved  Anne,  of  course,  but  oh,  that  she 
could  have  been  more  like  herself  or  Morella 
Winmarleigh ! 

Both  women  saw  Hector  in  the  omnibus  box, 
and  saw  him  leave  it,  and  were  quite  ready 
with  their  greetings  when  he  joined  them. 

Miss  Winmarleigh  had  a  slight  air  of  pro- 
prietorship about  her,  which  every  one  knew 
when    Hector   was    there.     And   most   people 

i68 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


thought  as  she  did,  that  he  would  certainly 
marry  her  in  the  near  future. 

He  was  glad  it  was  not  between  the  acts — 
there  was  no  excuse  for  conversation  after  their 
greeting,  so  he  searched  the  house  in  peace  with 
his  glasses. 

And  although  he  was  hoping  to  see  Theo- 
dora, his  heart  gave  a  great  bound  of  surprised 
joy  when,  on  the  pit  tier,  almost  next  the  box 
he  had  just  left,  he  discovered  her.  He  sup- 
posed it  was  a  box  often  let  to  strangers  that 
season,  as  he  could  not  remember  whose  the 
name  was  as  he  had  passed.  He  got  back  into 
the  shadow,  that  his  gaze  should  not  be  too 
remarkable.  She  had  not  caught  sight  of  him 
yet,  or  so  it  seemed. 

There  she  sat  with  her  husband  and  another 
woman,  whom  he  recognized  as  one  of  those 
kind  creatures  who  go  everywhere  in  society 
and  help  strangers  when  suitably  compensated 
for  their  trouble. 

Where  on  earth  could  she  have  come  across 
Mrs.  Devlyn?  he  wondered.  A  poisonous 
woman,  who  would  fill  her  ears  with  tales  of 
all  the  world.  Then  he  guessed,  and  rightly, 
the  introduction  had  been  effected  by  Captain 
Fitzgerald,  who  would  probably  have  known 
her  in  his  own  day. 

169 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Theodora  appeared  wrapped  in  the  music, 
and  was  an  enthralling  picture  of  loveliness; 
her  fineness  seemed  to  make  all  the  women's 
faces  who  were  near  look  coarse,  and  her  white- 
ness turned  them  into  gypsies.  She  wore  a 
gown  of  black  velvet  with  no  relief  whatever, 
only  her  dazzling  skin  and  her  great  pearls. 
He  feasted  his  eyes  upon  her — eyes  himgry 
with  a  week's  abstinence;  for  he  had  felt  it 
more  prudent  to  remain  in  Paris  for  some  days 
after  she  had  left. 

He  looked  round  the  rest  of  the  house,  and 
understood  all  the  other  men  could,  and  prob- 
ably would,  gaze  too.  And  then  he  began  to 
feel  hot  and  jealous!  This  was  different  from 
Paris,  where  she  was  more  or  less  a  tourist; 
but  here,  how  long  would  she  be  left  in  peace 
without  siege  being  laid  to  her  ?  He  knew  his 
world  and  the  men  it  contained.  Yes,  at  that 
moment  the  door  at  the  back  of  the  box 
opened  and  Delaval  Stirling  came  in,  Josiah 
Brown  making  way  for  him  to  sit  in  front. 
Delaval  Stirling — this  was  too  much! 

And  Theodora  turned  with  her  adorable 
smile  and  greeted  him,  so  it  showed  they  had 
met  before— greeted  him  with  pleasure.  Good 
God!  How  much  could  happen  in  a  week! 
Why  had  he  stayed  in  Paris  ? 

170 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


If  Morella  Winmarleigh  had  glanced  round 
at  his  face,  even  her  thick  perceptions  must 
have  grasped  the  disturbance  which  was 
marked  there,  as  he  stood  back  in  the  shadow 
and  gazed  with  angry  eyes. 

The  moment  she  had  seen  him  come  into  the 
box  Mrs.  Devlyn  had  said,  "I  want  you  to 
notice  a  man  over  there,  Mrs.  Brown,  in  the 
box  exactly  opposite;  on  the  grand  tier — do 
you  see?" 

"Yes,"  said  Theodora,  and  she  perceived 
him  shaking  hands  with  Miss  Winmarleigh  be- 
fore he  caught  sight  of  her,  so  she  was  fore- 
armed and  turned  to  the  stage. 

"He  is  nice-looking,  don't  you  think  so?" 
continued  Mrs.  Devlyn,  without  a  pause.  "  He 
is  going  to  marry  that  girl  in  the  box;  she  is 
one  of  the  richest  heiresses  of  the  day — Miss 
Winmarleigh.  I  always  point  out  Hector 
Bracondale  to  strangers  or  foreigners;  he  is 
quite  a  show  Englishman." 

"  Bracondale  ?  Lord  Bracondale  ?"  interrupted 
Josiah  Brown.  "  We  met  him  in  Paris,  did  we 
not ,  my  love  ? ' '  turning  to  Theodora .  ' '  He  dined 
with  us  our  last  evening.     Where  is  he?" 

"Oh,  you  know  him,  then!"  said  Mrs.  Dev- 
lyn, disappointed.  "  I  wanted  to  be  the  first 
to  point  him  out  to  you.     They  will  make  a 

171 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


handsome  pair,  won't  they — he  and  Miss  Win- 
marleigh?" 

"Very,"  said  Theodora,  Hstlessly,  with  an 
air  of  dragging  her  thoughts  from  the  music 
with  difficulty,  while  she  suddenly  felt  sick  and 
cold. 

"And  are  they  to  be  married  soon?" 

"  I  don't  know  exactly ;  but  it  has  been  go- 
ing on  for  years,  and  we  all  look  upon  it  as  a 
settled  thing.  She  is  always  about  with  his 
mother." 

"  Is  that  Lord  Bracon dale's  mother  —  the 
lady  with  the  coronet  of  plaits  and  the  huge 
white  aigrette  with  the  diamond  drops  in  it?" 
Theodora  asked.  Her  voice  was  schooled,  and 
had  no  special  tones  in  it.  But  oh,  how  she 
was  thrilling  with  interest  and  excitement  un- 
derneath ! 

"  Yes,  that  is  Lady  Bracondale.  She  is 
quite  a  type;  always  dresses  in  that  old-fash- 
ioned way,  and  won't  know  a  soul  who  is  not 
of  her  own  set.  She  is  a  cousin  of  one  of  my 
husband's  aunts.    I  must  introduce  you  to  her." 

"She  looks  pretty  haughty,"  announced 
Josiah  Brown.  "  I  should  not  care  to  tread 
on  her  toes  much."  And  then  he  remembered 
he  had  seen  her  years  ago  driving  through  the 
little  town  of  Bracondale. 

172 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Theodora  asked  no  more  questions.  She 
kept  her  eyes  fixed  on  the  stage,  but  she  knew 
Hector  had  raised  his  glasses  now  and  was 
scanning  the  box,  and  had  probably  seen  her. 

What  ought  it  to  matter  to  her  that  he 
should  be  going  to  marry  Miss  Winmarleigh  ? 
He  could  be  nothing  to  her — only — only — but 
perhaps  it  was  not  true.  This  woman,  Mrs. 
Devlyn,  whom  she  began  to  feel  she  should  dis- 
like very  much,  had  said  it  was  looked  upon 
as  settled,  not  that  it  was  a  fact.  How  could 
a  man  be  going  to  marry  one  woman  and  make 
desperate  love  to  another  at  the  same  time? 
It  was  impossible  —  and  yet  —  she  would  not 
look  in  any  case.  She  would  not  once  raise 
her  eyes  that  way. 

And  so  in  these  two  boxes  green  jealousy 
held  sway,  and  while  Hector  glared  across  at 
Theodora  she  smiled  at  Delaval  vStirling,  and 
spoke  softly  of  the  music  and  the  voices, 
though  her  heart  was  torn  with  pain, 

"  Do  you  see  Hector  Bracondale  is  back 
again,  Delaval.?"  Mrs.  Devlyn  said.  "Do  you 
know  why  he  stayed  in  Paris  so  long?  I 
heard — "  And  she  whispered  low,  so  that 
Theodora  only  caught  the  name  "  Esclarmonde 
de  Chartres "  and  their  modulated  mocking 
laughter. 

"  173 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


How  they  jarred  upon  her!  How  she  felt 
she  should  hate  London  among  all  these  people 
whose  ways  she  did  not  know!  She  turned  a 
little,  and  Josiah's  vulgar  familiar  face  seemed 
a  relief  to  her,  and  her  tender  eyes  melted  in 
kindliness  as  she  looked  at  him. 

"You  are  very  pale  to-night,  my  love,"  he 
said.     "Would  you  like  to  go  home?" 

But  this  she  would  not  agree  to,  and  pulled 
herself  together  and  tried  to  talk  gayly  when 
the  curtain  went  down. 

And  Hector  blamed  his  own  folly  for  having 
come  up  to  this  box  at  all.  Here  he  must  be 
glued  certainly  for  a  few  moments;  now  that 
they  could  talk,  politeness  could  not  permit 
him  to  fly  off  at  once. 

"The  house  is  very  full,"  Miss  Winmarleigh 
said — it  was  a  remark  she  always  made  on  big 
nights — "  and  yet  hardly  any  new  faces  about." 

"Yes,"  said  Hector. 

"  Does  it  compare  with  the  Opera-House  in 
Paris,  Hector  ?"  Miss  Winmarleigh  hardly  ever 
went  abroad. 

"No,"  said  Hector. — Not  only  had  Delaval 
Stirling  retained  his  seat,  but  Chris  Harford, 
Mrs.  Devlyn's  brother,  had  entered  the  box 
now  and  was  assiduously  paying  his  court. 
"  Damned  impertinence  of  the  woman,  forcing 
174 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


her  relations  upon  them  like  that,"  he  thought. — 
"  Oh — er — no — that  is,  I  think  the  Paris  Opera- 
House  is  a  beastly  place,"  he  said,  absently, 
"a  dull,  heavy  drab  brown  and  dirty  gilding, 
and  all  the  women  look  hideous  in  it." 

"Really,"  said  Morella.  "I  thought  every- 
thing in  Paris  was  lovely." 

"You  should  go  over  and  see  for  yourself," 
he  said,  "  then  you  could  judge.  I  think  most 
things  there  are  lovely,  though." 

Miss  Winmarleigh  raised  her  glasses  now 
and  examined  the  house.  Her  eyes  lighted  at 
last  on  Theodora. 

"Dear  Lady  Bracondale,"  she  said,  "do 
look  at  that  woman  in  black  velvet.  What 
splendid  pearls!  Do  you  think  they  are  real? 
Who  is  it,  I  wonder,  with  Florence  Devlyn?" 

But  Hector  felt  he  could  not  stay  and  hear 
their  remarks  about  his  darling,  so  he  got  up, 
and,  murmuring  he  must  have  a  talk  to  his 
friends  in  the  house,  left  the  box. 

He  was  thankful  at  least  Theodora  was  sit- 
ting on  the  pit  tier — he  could  walk  along  the 
gangway  and  talk  to  her  from  the  front. 

She  saw  him  coming  and  was  prepared,  so  no 
wild  roses  tinged  her  cheeks,  and  her  greeting 
was  gravely  courteous,  that  was  all. 

An  icy  feeling  crept  over  him.    What   was 
175 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


the  change,  this  subtle  change  in  voice  and 
eyes?  He  suddenly  had  the  agonizing  sensa- 
tion of  being  a  great  way  off  from  her,  shut 
out  of  paradise — a  stranger.  What  had  hap- 
pened?    What  had  he  done? 

Every  one  knows  the  Opera -House,  and 
where  he  would  be  standing,  and  the  impossi- 
bility of  saying  anything  but  the  most  banal 
commonplaces,  looking  up  like  that. 

Then  Josiah  leaned  forward,  proud  of  his  ac- 
quaintanceship with  a  peer,  and  said  in  a  dis- 
tinct voice: 

"  Won't  you  come  into  the  box,  Lord  Bracon- 
dale?  There  is  plenty  of  room."  He  had  not 
taken  to  either  Delaval  Stirling  or  Chris  Har- 
ford, and  thought  a  change  of  company  would 
not  come  amiss.  They  had  ignored  him,  and 
should  pay  for  it. 

Hector  made  his  way  joyfully  to  the  back, 
and,  entering,  was  greeted  affably  by  his  host, 
so  the  other  two  men  got  up  to  leave  to  make 
room  for  him. 

He  sat  down  behind  Theodora,  and  Mrs. 
Devlyn  saw  it  would  be  wiser  to  conciliate 
Josiah  by  her  interested  conversation. 

She  hoped  to  make  a  good  thing  out  of  this 
millionaire  and  his  unknown  wife,  and  it  would 
not  do  to  ruffle  him  at  this  stage  of  the  affair. 
176 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Theodora  hardly  turned,  thus  Hector  was 
obliged  to  lean  quite  forward  to  speak  to  her. 

"I  have  seen  my  sister  to-night,"  he  said, 
"and  she  wants  so  much  to  meet  you.  I  said 
perhaps  she  would  find  you  to-morrow.  Will 
you  be  at  home  in  the  afternoon  any  time?" 

"I  expect  so,"  replied  Theodora.  She  was 
longing  to  face  him,  to  ask  him  if  it  was  true 
he  was  going  to  marry  that  large,  pink-faced 
young  woman  opposite,  who  was  now  staring 
down  upon  them  with  fixed  opera-glasses;  but 
she  felt  frozen,  and  her  voice  was  a  frozen 
voice. 

Hector  became  more  and  more  unhappy. 
He  tried  several  subjects.  He  told  her  the 
last  news  of  her  father  and  Mrs.  McBride.  She 
answered  them  all  with  the  same  politeness, 
imtil,  maddened  beyond  bearing,  he  leaned  still 
farther  forward  and  whispered  in  her  ear: 

"For  God's  sake,  what  is  it?  What  have  I 
done?" 

"  Nothing,"  said  Theodora.  What  right  had 
she  to  ask  him  any  question,  when  for  these 
seven  nights  and  days  since  they  had  parted 
she  had  been  disciplining  herself  not  to  think 
of  him  in  any  way?  vShe  must  never  let  him 
know  it  could  matter  to  her  now. 

"Nothing?  Then  why  are  you  so  changed? 
177 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Ah,  how  it  hurts!"  he  whispered,  passionately. 
And  she  turned  and  looked  at  him,  and  he  saw 
that  her  beautiful  eyes  were  no  longer  those 
pure  depths  of  blue  sky  in  which  he  could  read 
love  and  faith,  but  were  full  of  mist,  as  of  a 
curtain  between  them. 

He  put  his  hand  up  to  touch  the  little  gold 
case  he  carried  always  no  win  his  waistcoat- 
pocket,  which  contained  her  letter.  He  want- 
ed to  assure  himself  it  was  there,  and  she  had 
written  it — and  it  was  not  all  a  dream. 

Theodora's  tender  heart  was  wrung  by  the 
passionate  distress  in  his  eyes. 

"  Is  that  your  mother  over  there  you  were 
with?"  she  asked,  more  gently.  "How  beau- 
tiful she  is!" 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "my  mother  and  Morella 
Winmarleigh,  whom  the  world  in  general  and 
my  mother  in  particular  have  decided  I  am 
going  to  marry." 

She  did  not  speak.  She  felt  suddenly 
ashamed  she  could  ever  have  doubted  him;  it 
must  be  the  warping  atmosphere  of  Mrs.  Dev- 
lyn's  society  for  these  last  days  which  had 
planted  thoughts,  so  foreign  to  her  nature,  in 
her.  She  did  not  yet  know  it  was  jealousy 
pure  and  simple,  which  attacks  the  sweetest,  as 
well  as  the  bitterest,  soul  among  us  all.  But  a 
178 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


thrill  of  gladness  ran  through  her  as  well   as 
shame. 

"And  aren't  you  going  to  marry  her,  then?" 
she  said,  at  last.     "  She  is  very  handsome." 

Hector  looked  at  her,  and  a  wave  of  joy 
chased  out  the  pain  he  had  suffered.  That 
was  it,  then!  They  had  told  her  this  already, 
and  she  hated  it— she  cared  for  him  still. 

"  Surely  you  need  not  ask  me,"  he  said,  deep 
reproach  in  his  eyes.  "You  must  be  very 
changed  in  seven  days  to  even  have  thought  it 
possible." 

The  shame  deepened  in  Theodora.  She  was, 
indeed,  unhke  herself  to  have  been  moved  at 
all  by  Mrs.  Devlyn's  words,  but  she  would 
never  doubt  again,  and  she  must  tell  him 
that. 

"Forgive  me,"  she  said,  quite  low,  while  she 
looked  away.  "I  — of  course  I  ought  to  be 
pleased  at  anything  which  made  you  happy, 
but — oh,  I  hated  it!" 

"  Theodora,"  he  said,  "  I  ask  you— do  not  act 
with  me  ever— to  what  end?  We  know  each 
other's  hearts,  and  I  hope  it  would  pain  you 
were  I  to  marry  any  other  woman,  as  much  as 
in  like  circumstances  it  would  pain  me." 

"Yes,  it  would  pain  me,"  she  said,  simply. 
"But,  oh,  we  must  not  speak  thus!     Please, 
179 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


please  talk  of  the  music,  or  the — the — oh,  any- 
thing but  ourselves." 

And  he  tried  hard  for  the  few  moments 
which  remained  before  the  curtain  rose  again. 
Tried  hard,  but  it  was  all  dust  and  ashes;  and 
as  he  left  the  box  and  returned  to  his  own  seat 
next  door  his  heart  felt  like  lead.  How  would 
he  be  able  to  follow  the  rules  he  had  laid  down 
for  himself  during  his  week  of  meditations  in 
Paris  alone? 

"You  see,  dear  Lady  Bracondale,"  Morella 
Winmarleigh  had  been  saying,  "  Hector  knows 
that  woman  with  the  pearls.  He  is  sitting 
talking  to  her  now," 

"Hector  knows  every  one,  Morella.  Lend 
me  your  glasses,  mine  do  not  seem  to  work 
to-night.  Yes,  I  suppose  by  some  she  would 
be  considered  pretty,"  Lady  Bracondale  con- 
tinued, when  the  lorgnette  was  fixed  to  her 
focus.     "What  do  you  think,  dear?" 

"  Pretty !"  exclaimed  Miss  Winmarleigh.  "  Oh 
no!  Much  too  white,  and,  oh  —  er  —  foreign- 
looking.     We  must  find  out  who  she  is." 

The  matter  was  not  difficult.  Half  the  house 
had  been  interested  in  the  new-comer,  the  beau- 
tiful new-comer  with  the  wonderful  pearls,  who 
must  be  worth  while  in  some  way,  or  she  would 
not  be  under  the  wing  of  Florence  Devlyn. 

1 80 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


By  the  time  Hector  again  entered  their  box 
in  the  last  act,  Miss  Winmarleigh  had  obtained 
all  the  information  she  wanted  from  one  of 
the  many  visitors  who  came  to  pay  their  court 
to  the  heiress.  And  the  information  reassured 
her.  Only  the  wife  of  a  colonial  millionaire; 
no  one  of  her  world  or  who  could  trouble  her. 

Early  next  morning,  while  she  sat  in  her 
white  flannel  dressing-gown,  her  hair  screwed 
in  curling-pins,  after  the  Brantinghams'  ball, 
she  wrote  in  her  journal  the  customary  sum- 
mary of  her  day,  and  ended  with:  "H.  B.  re- 
turned— same  as  usual,  running  after  a  new 
woman,  nobody  of  importance ;  but  I  had  bet- 
ter watch  it,  and  clinch  matters  between  him 
and  me  before  Goodwood.  Ordered  the  pink 
silk  after  all,  from  the  new  little  dressmaker, 
and  beat  her  down  three  pounds  as  to  price. 
Begun  Marvaloso  hair  tonic." 

Then,  as  it  was  broad  daylight,  after  care- 
fully replacing  in  its  drawer  this  locked  chron- 
icle of  her  maiden  thoughts,  she  retired  to  bed, 
to  sleep  the  sleep  of  those  just  persons  whose 
digestions  are  as  strong  as  their  absence  of 
imagination. 


XVIII 

Ne>;t  day  Lady  Anningford  called,  as  she 
had  promised,  at  Claridge's,  and  found  Mrs. 
Brown  at  home,  although  it  was  only  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

She  had  not  two  minutes  to  wait  in  the  well- 
furnished  first-floor  sitting-room,  but  during 
that  time  she  noticed  there  were  one  or  two 
things  about  which  showed  the  present  occu- 
pant was  a  woman  of  taste,  and  there  were 
such  quantities  of  flowers.  Flowers,  flowers, 
everywhere. 

Theodora  entered  already  dressed  for  her 
afternoon  drive.  She  came  fonvard  with  that 
perfect  grace  which  characterized  her  every 
movement. 

If  she  felt  very  timid  and  nervous  it  did  not 
show  in  her  sweet  face,  and  Lady  Anningford 
perceived  Hector  had  every  excuse  for  his  in- 
fatuation. 

"  I  am  so  fortunate  to  find  you  at  home,  Mrs. 
Brown,"  she  said.  "My  brother  has  told  me 
so  much  about  you,  and  I  was  longing  to  meet 

182 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


you.  May  we  sit  down  on  this  sofa  and  talk 
a  little,  or  were  you  just  starting  for  your 
drive?" 

"Of  course  we  may  sit  down,"  said  Theo- 
dora. "  My  drive  does  not  matter  in  the  least. 
It  was  so  good  of  you  to  come." 

And  her  inward  thought  was  that  she  would 
like  Hector's  sister.  Anne's  frankness  and 
sans  gene  were  so  pleasing. 

They  exchanged  a  few  agreeable  sentences 
while  each  measured  the  other,  and  then  Lady 
Anningford  said: 

"You  come  from  Australia,  don't  you?" 
"AustraHa!"  smiled  Theodora,  while  her 
eyes  opened  wide.  "Oh  no!  I  have  never 
been  out  of  France  and  Belgium  and  places 
like  that.  My  husband  lived  in  Melbourne  for 
some  years,  though." 

"I  thought  it  could  not  be  possible,"  quoth 
Anne  to  herself. 

"Then  you  don't  know  much  of  England 
yet?"  she  said,  aloud. 

"  It  is  my  first  visit ;  and  it  seems  very  dull 
and  rainy.  This  is  the  only  really  fine  day  we 
have  had  since  we  arrived." 

Anne  soon  dexterously  elicited  an  outline  of 
Theodora's  plans  and  what  she  was  doing. 
They  would  only  remain  in  town  until  Whit- 

183 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


suntide,  perhaps  returning  later  for  a  week  or 
two ;  and  Mrs.  Devlyn,  to  whom  her  father  had 
sent  her  an  introduction,  had  been  kind 
enough  to  tell  them  what  to  do  and  how  to  see 
a  little  of  London.  She  was  going  to  a  ball 
to-night.  The  first  real  ball  she  had  ever  been 
to  in  her  life,  she  said,  ingenuously. 

And  Lady  Anningford  looked  at  her  and 
each  moment  fell  more  under  her  charm. 

"The  ball  at  Harrowfield  House,  I  expect, 
to  meet  the  King  of  Guatemala,"  she  said, 
knowing  Lady  Harrowfield  was  Florence  Dev- 
lyn's  cousin. 

"That  is  it,"  said  Theodora. 

"Then  you  must  dance  with  Hector — my 
brother,"  she  said. 

She  launched  his  name  suddenly ;  she  wanted 
to  see  what  effect  it  would  have  on  Theodora. 
"  He  is  sure  to  be  there,  and  he  dances  divinely." 

She  was  rewarded  for  her  thrust:  just  the 
faintest  pink  came  into  the  white  velvet 
cheeks,  and  the  blue  eyes  melted  softly.  To 
dance  with  Hector!  Ah!  Then  the  radiance 
was  replaced  by  a  look  of  sadness,  and  she  said, 
quietly : 

"Oh,  I  do  not  think  I  shall  dance  at  all. 
My  husband  is  rather  an  invalid,  and  we  shall 
only  go  in  for  a  little  while." 

184 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


No,  she  must  not  dance  with  Hector.  Those 
joys  were  not  for  her  —  she  must  not  even 
think  of  it. 

"How  extraordinarily  beautiful  she  is!" 
Anne  thought,  when  presently,  the  visit  end- 
ed, she  foimd  herself  rolling  along  in  her  electric 
brougham  towards  the  park.  "And  I  feel  I 
shall  love  her.  I  wonder  what  her  Christian 
name  is?" 

Theodora  had  promised  they  would  lunch  in 
Charles  Street  with  her  the  next  day  if  her  hus- 
band should  be  well  enough  after  the  ball. 
And  Anne  decided  to  collect  as  many  nice 
people  to  meet  them  as  she  could  in  the  time. 

At  the  corner  of  Grosvenor  Square  she  met 
an  old  friend,  one  Colonel  Lowerby,  commonly 
called  the  Crow,  and  stopped  to  pick  him  up 
and  take  him  on  with  her. 

He  was  the  one  person  she  wanted  to  talk  to 
at  this  juncture.  She  had  known  him  all  her 
life,  and  was  accustomed  to  prattle  to  him  on 
all  subjects.  He  was  always  safe,  and  gruff, 
and  honest. 

"  I  have  just  done  something  so  interesting, 
Crow,"  she  told  him,  as  they  went  along  tow- 
ards Regent's  Park,  to  which  sylvan  spot  she 
had  directed  her  chauffeur,  to  be  more  free  to 
talk  in  peace  to  her  companion.     Some  of  her 

185 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


friends  were  capable  of  making  scandals,  even 
about  the  dear  old  Crow,  she  knew. 

"And  what  have  you  done?"  he  asked. 

"Of  course  you  have  heard  the  tale  from 
Uncle  Evermond,  of  Hector  and  the  lady  at 
Monte  Carlo?" 

He  nodded. 

"  Well,  there  is  not  a  word  of  truth  in  it ;  he 
is  in  love,  though,  with  the  most  beautiful 
woman  I  have  ever  seen  in  my  life — and  I  have 
just  been  to  call  upon  her.  And  to-morrow 
you  have  got  to  come  to  lunch  to  meet  her — 
and  tell  me  what  you  think." 

"  Very  well,"  said  the  Crow.  "  I  was  feeding 
elsewhere,  but  I  always  obey  you.  Continue 
your  narrative." 

"  I  want  you  to  tell  me  what  to  do,  and  how 
I  can  help  them." 

"My  dear  child,"  said  the  Crow,  senten- 
tiously,  as  was  his  habit,  "help  them  to  what? 
She  is  married,  of  course,  or  Hector  would  not 
be  in  love  with  her.  Do  you  want  to  help 
them  to  part  or  to  meet  ?  or  to  go  to  heaven  or 
to  hell?  or  to  spend  what  Monica  EUerwood 
calls  *a  Saturday  to  Monday  amid  rural 
scenery,'  which  means  both  of  those  things 
one  after  the  other!" 

"Crow,  dear,  you  are  disagreeable,"  said 
i$6 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Lady  Anningford,  "and  I  have  a  cold  in  my 
head  aiil  cannot  compete  with  you  in  words 
to-day." 

"Then  say  what  you  want,  and  I'll  listen." 

"  Hector  met  them  in  Paris,  it  seems,  and 
must  have  fallen  wildly  in  love,  because  I  have 
never  seen  him  as  he  is  now." 

"How  is  he? — and  who  is  'them'?" 

"Why,  she  and  the  husband,  of  course,  and 
Hector  is  looking  sad  and  distrait  —  and  has 
really  begun  to  feel  at  last." 

"Serve  him  right  1" 

"  Crow,  you  are  insupportable!  Can  you  not 
see  I  am  serious  and  want  your  help?" 

"Fire  away,  then,  my  good  child,  and  ex- 
plain matters.     You  are  too  vague!" 

So  she  told  him  all  she  knew — which  was 
little  enough;  but  she  was  eloquent  upon 
Theodora's  beauty. 

"  She  has  the  face  of  an  angel,"  she  ended  her 
description  with. 

"Always  mistrust  'em,"  interjected  the  Crow. 

"Such  a  figure  and  the  nicest  manner,  and 
she  is  in  love  with  Hector,  too,  of  course— be- 
cause she  could  not  possibly  help  herself — 
could  she? — if  he  is  being  lovely  to  her." 

"  I  have  not  yoiu"  prejudiced  eyes  for  him — 
though  Hector  certainly  is  a  decent  fellow 
187 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


enough  to  look  at,"  allowed  Colonel  Lowerby. 
"  But  all  this  does  not  get  to  what  you  want  to 
do  for  them." 

"I  want  them  to  be  happy." 

"Permanently,  or  for  the  moment?" 

"Both." 

"An  impossible  combination,  with  these 
abominably  inconsiderate  marriage  laws  we 
suffer  under  in  this  country,  my  child." 

"Then  what  ought  I  to  do?" 

"You  can  do  nothing  but  accelerate  or 
hinder  matters  for  a  little.  If  Hector  is  really 
in  love,  and  the  woman,  too,  they  are  bound 
to  dree  their  weird,  one  way  or  the  other, 
themselves.  You  will  be  doing  the  greatest 
kindness  if  you  can  keep  them  apart,  and 
avoid  a  scandal  if  possible." 

"  My  dear  Crow,  I  have  never  heard  of  your 
being  so  thoroughly  unsympathetic  before." 

"And  I  have  never  heard  of  Hector  being 
really  in  love  before,  and  with  an  angel,  too — 
deuced  dangerous  folk  at  the  best  of  times!" 

"Then  there  are  mother  and  ]\Iorella  Win- 
marleigh  to  be  counted  with." 

"  Neither  of  them  can  see  beyond  their  noses. 
Miss  Winmarleigh  is  sure  of  him,  she  thinks — 
and  your  mother,  too." 

"No;  mother  has  her  doubts." 

_  o  o 
lOO 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"They  will  both  be  anti?" 

"Extremely  anti." 

"To  get  back  to  facts,  then,  your  plan  is  to 
assist  your  brother  to  see  this  'angel,'  and 
smooth  the  path  to  the  final  catastrophe." 

"You  worry  me,  Crow.  Why  should  there 
be  a  catastrophe?" 

"  Is  she  a  young  woman?" 

"A  mere  baby.  Certainly  not  more  than 
twenty  or  so." 

"Then  it  is  inevitable,  if  the  husband  don't 
count.     You  have  not  described  him  yet." 

"Because  I  have  never  seen  him,"  said 
Lady  Anningford.  "  Hector  did  say  last  night, 
though,  that  he  was  an  impossible  Australian 
millionaire." 

"These  people  have  a  strong  sense  of  per- 
sonal rights — they  are  even  blood-thirsty  some- 
times, and  expect  virtue  in  their  women.  If 
he  had  been  just  an  English  snob,  the  social 
bauble  might  have  proved  an  immense  eye- 
duster;  but  when  you  say  Australian  it  gives 
me  hope.  He'll  take  her  away,  or  break  Hec- 
tor's head,  before  things  become  too  embar- 
rassing." 

"Crow,  you  are  brutal." 
"And  a  good  thing,  too.     That  is  what  we 
all  want,  a  little  more  brutality.     The  whole  of 
13  189 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


the  blessed  show  here  is  being  ruined  with  this 
sickly  sentimentality.  Flogging  done  away 
with;  every  silly  nerve  pandered  to.  By  Jove! 
the  next  time  we  have  to  fight  any  country  we 
shall  have  an  anaesthetic  served  round  with  the 
rations  to  keep  Tommy  Atkins's  delicate  nerves 
from  suffering  from  the  consciousness  of  the 
slaughter  he  inflicts  upon  the  enemy." 

"Crow,  you  are  violent." 

"Yes,  I  am.  I  am  sick  of  the  whole  thing. 
I  would  reintroduce  prize-fighting  and  bear- 
baiting  and  gladiatorial  shows  to  brace  the 
nation  up  a  bit.  We'll  get  jammed  full  of 
rotten  vices  like  those  beastly  foreigners  soon." 

"  I  did  not  bring  you  into  Regent's  Park  to 
hear  a  tirade  upon  the  nation's  needs,  Crow," 
Anne  reminded  him,  smiling,  "  but  to  get  your 
sympathy  and  advice  upon  this  affair  of  Hec- 
tor. You  know  you  are  the  only  person  in  the 
world  I  ever  talk  to  about  intimate  things." 

"Dear  Queen  Anne,"  he  said,  "I  will  always 
do  what  I  can  for  you.  But  I  tell  you  seri- 
ously, when  a  man  like  Hector  loves  a  woman 
really,  you  might  as  well  try  to  direct  Niagara 
Falls  as  to  turn  him  any  way  but  the  one  he 
means  to  go." 

"  He  \vants  me  to  be  kind  to  her.  Do  you 
advise  nie  just  to  let  the  thing  drop,  then?" 

190 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"No;  be  as  kind  as  you  like — only  don't  as- 
sist them  to  destruction." 

"  She  goes  into  the  country  on  Saturday  for 
Whitsuntide,  as  we  all  do.  Hector  is  going 
down  to  Bracondale  alone." 

"That  looks  desperate.  I  shall  see  Hector, 
and  judge  for  myself." 

"  You  must  be  sure  to  go  to  the  ball  at  Har- 
rowfield  House  to-night,  then,"  Anne  said. 
"They  are  both  going.  I  say  both  because  I 
know  she  is,  and  so,  of  course.  Hector  will  be 
there  too.  I  shall  go,  naturally,  and  then  we 
can  decide  what  we  can  do  about  it  after  we 
have  seen  them  together." 

And  all  this  time  Theodora  was  thinking  how 
charming  Anne  was,  and  how  kind,  and  that 
she  felt  a  little  happier  because  of  her  kind- 
ness. And,  hard  as  it  would  be,  she  would 
not  leave  Josiah's  side  that  night  or  dance  with 
Hector. 

And  Hector  was  thinking — 

"What  is  the  good  of  anything  in  tHs  wide 
world  without  her  ?  I  must  see  her.  For  good 
or  ill,  I  cannot  keep  away." 

He  was  deep  in  the  toils  of  desire  and  pas- 
sionate love  for  a  woman  belonging  to  some 
one  else  and  out  of  his  reach,  and  for  whom  he 
was    hungry.     Thus    the    primitive    forces    of 

191 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


nature  were  in  violent  activity,  and  his  soul 
was  having  a  hard  fight. 

It  was  the  first  time  in  his  life  that  a  woman 
had  really  mattered  or  had  been  impossible  to 
obtain. 

He  had  always  looked  upon  them  as  delight- 
ful accessories:  sport  first,  and  woman,  who 
was  only  another  form  of  sport,  second. 

He  had  not  neglected  the  obligations  of  his 
great  position,  but  they  came  naturally  to  him 
as  of  the  day's  work.  They  were  not  real  in- 
terests in  his  life.  And  when  stripped  of  the 
veneer  of  civilization  he  was  but  a  passionate, 
primitive  creature,  like  numbers  of  others  of 
his  class  and  age. 

While  the  elevation  of  Theodora's  pure  soul 
was  an  actual  influence  upon  him,  he  had 
thought  it  would  be  possible — dii^cult,  perhaps 
— but  possible  to  obey  her  —  to  keep  from 
troubling  her  —  to  regulate  his  passion  into 
worship  at  a  distance.  But  since  then  new 
influences  had  begun  to  work  —  prominent 
among  them  being  jealousy. 

To  see  her  surrounded  by  others — who  were 
men  and  would  desire  her,  too  —  drove  him 
mad. 

Josiah  was  difficult  enough  to  bear.  The 
thought  that  he  was  her  husband,  and  had  the 

J92 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


rights  of  this  position,  ahvays  turned  him  sick 
with  raging  disgust ;  but  that  was  the  law,  and 
a  law  accepted  since  the  beginning  of  time. 
These  others  were  not  of  the  law — they  were 
the  same  as  himself — and  w^ould  all  try  to  win 
her. 

He  had  no  fear  of  their  succeeding,  but,  to 
watch  them  trying,  and  he  him.self  imable  to 
prevent  them,  was  a  thought  he  could  not 
tolerate. 

He  had  no  settled  plan.  He  did  not  deliber- 
ately say  to  himself:  "I  will  possess  her  at  all 
costs.  I  will  be  her  lover,  and  take  her  by 
force  from  the  bonds  of  this  world."  His  whole 
mind  was  in  a  ferment  and  chaos.  There  was 
no  time  to  think  of  the  position  in  cold  blood. 
His  passion  hurried  him  on  from  hour  to  hour. 

This  day  after  the  opera,  when  the  hideous 
impossibility  of  the  situation  had  come  upon 
him  with  full  force,  he  felt  as  Lancelot — 

"  His   mood   was   often    like   a   fiend,  and   rose   and 
drove  him  into  wastes  and  solitudes  for  agony, 
Who  was  yet  a  living  soul." 

There  are  all  sorts  of  loves  in  life,  but  when 
it  is  the  real  great  passion,  nor  fear  of  hell  nor 
hope  of  heaven  can  stem  the  tide — for  long! 

He  had  gone  out  in  his  automobile,  and  was 
193 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


racing  ahead  considerably  above  the  speed 
Hmit.  He  felt  he  must  do  something.  Had  it 
been  winter  and  hunting-time,  he  would  have 
taken  any  fences — any  risks.  He  returned  and 
got  to  Ranelagh,  and  played  a  game  of  polo  as 
hard  as  he  could,  and  then  he  felt  a  little 
calmer.  The  idea  came  to  him  as  it  had  done 
to  Anne.  Lady  Harrow^field  was  Florence 
Devlyn's  cousin;  she  would  probably  have 
squeezed  an  invitation  for  her  protegees  for 
the  royal  ball  to-night.  He  would  go  —  he 
must  see  Theodora.  He  must  hold  her  in  his 
arms,  if  only  in  the  mazes  of  the  waltz. 

And  the  thought  of  that  sent  the  blood 
whirling  madly  once  more  in  his  veins. 

Everything  he  had  looked  upon  so  lightly  up 
to  now  had  taken  a  new  significance  in  refer- 
ence to  Theodora.  Florence  Devlyn,  for  in- 
stance, was  no  fit  companion  for  her — Florence 
Devlyn,  whom  he  met  at  every  decent  house 
and  had  never  before  disapproved  of,  except  as 
a  bore  and  a  sycophant. 


XIX 

Harrowpield  House,  as  every  one  knows, 
is  one  of  the  finest  in  London;  and  with  the 
worst  manners,  and  an  inordinate  insolence, 
Lady  Harrowfield  ruled  her  section  of  society 
with  a  rod  of  iron.  Indeed,  all  sections  covet- 
ed the  invitations  of  this  disagreeable  lady. 

Her  path  was  strewn  with  lovers,  and  pro- 
tected by  a  proud  and  complacent  husband, 
who  had  realized  early  he  never  would  be 
master  of  the  situation,  and  had  preferred 
peace  to  open  scandal. 

She  was  a  woman  of  sixty  now,  and,  report 
said,  still  had  her  lapses.  But  every  incident 
was  carried  off  with  a  high  -  handed,  brazen 
daring,  and  an  assumption  of  right  and  might 
and  prerogative  which  paralyzed  criticism. 

So  it  was  that  with  the  record  of  a  demi- 
mondaine — and  not  one  kind  action  to  her 
credit — Lady  Harrowfield  still  held  her  place 
among  the  spotless,  and  ruled  as  a  queen. 

There  was  not  above  two  years'  difference 
between  her  age  and  Lady  Bracondale's;   in- 

195 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


deed,  the  latter  had  been  one  of  her  brides- 
maids; but  no  one  to  look  at  them  at  a  dis- 
tance could  have  credited  it  for  a  minute. 

Lady  Harrow  field  had  golden  hair  and  pink 
cheeks,  and  her  embonpoint  retained  in  the 
most  fashionable  outline.  And  if  towards  two 
in  the  morning,  or  when  she  lost  at  bridge,  her 
face  did  remind  on-lookers  of  a  hideous  colored 
mask  of  death  and  old  age — pne  can't  have 
everything  in  life;  and  Lady  Harrowfield  had 
already  obtained  more  than  the  lion's  share. 

This  night  in  June  she  stood  at  the  top  of 
her  splendid  staircase,  blazing  with  jewels,  re- 
ceiving her  guests,  among  whom  more  than 
one  august  personage,  English  and  foreign,  was 
expected  to  arrive;  and  an  unusually  sour 
frow^n  disfigured  the  thick  paint  of  her  face. 

It  all  seemed  like  fairy-land  to  Theodora  as, 
accompanied  by  Josiah,  and  preceded  by  Mrs. 
Devlyn,  she  early  mounted  the  marble  steps 
with  the  rest  of  the  throng. 

She  noticed  the  insolent  stare  of  her  hostess 
as  she  shook  hands  and  then  passed  on  in  the 
crowd. 

She  felt  a  little  shy  and  nervous  and  excited 
withal.  Every  one  around  seemed  to  have  so 
many  friends,  and  to  be  so  gay  and  joyous,  and 
only  she  and   Josiah  stood   alone.     For   Mrs. 

196 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Devlyn  felt  she  had  done  enough  for  one  night 
in  bringing  them  there. 

It  was  an  immense  crowd.  At  a  smaller  ball 
Theodora's  exquisite  beauty  must  have  com- 
manded instant  attention,  but  this  was  a 
special  occasion,  and  the  world  was  too  occu- 
pied with  a  desire  to  gape  at  the  foreign  king 
to  trouble  about  any  new-comers.  Certainly 
for  the  first  hour  or  so. 

Josiah  was  feeling  himiiliated.  Not  a  creat- 
ure spoke  to  them,  and  they  were  hustled  along 
like  sheep  into  the  ballroom. 

A  certain  number  of  men  stared — -stared 
with  deep  interest,  and  made  plans  for  intro- 
ductions as  soon  as  the  crowd  should  subside  a 
little. 

Theodora  was  perfect^  dressed,  and  her 
jewels  caused  en\^T  in  numbers  of  breasts. 

She  was  too  little  occupied  with  herself  to 
feel  any  of  Josiah's  humiliation.  This  society 
was  hers  by  right  of  birth,  and  did  not  discon- 
cert her;  only  no  one  could  help  being  lonely 
when  quite  neglected,  while  others  danced. 

Presently,  a  thin,  i^d-tempered-looking  old 
man  made  his  way  with  difficulty  up  to  their 
comer;  he  had  been  speaking  to  ]\Irs.  Devlyn 
across  the  room. 

"  I  must  introduce  myself,"  he  said,  graclous- 
197 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ly,  to  Theodora.  "I  am  your  uncle,  Patrick 
Fitzgerald,  and  I  am  so  delighted  to  meet  you 
and  make  your  acquaintance." 

Theodora  bowed  without  empressement.  She 
had  no  feeling  for  these  relations  who  had  been 
so  indifferent  to  her  while  she  was  poor  and 
who  had  treated  darling  papa  so  badly. 

"  I  only  got  back  to  town  last  night,  or  I 
and  my  wife  would  have  called  at  Claridge's 
before  this,"  he  continued.  And  then  he 
said  something  affable  to  Josiah,  who  looked 
strangely  out  of  place  among  this  brilliant 
throng. 

For  whatever  may  compose  the  elements  of 
the  highest  London  society,  the  atoms  all  ac- 
quire a  certain  air  after  a  little,  and  if  within 
this  fine  fleur  of  the  aristocracy  there  lurked 
some  Jews  and  Philistines  and  infidels  of  the 
middle  classes,  they  were  not  quite  new  to  the 
game,  and  had  all  received  their  gloss.  So 
poor  Josiah  stood  out  rather  by  himself,  and 
Sir  Patrick  Fitzgerald  felt  a  good  deal  ashamed 
of  him. 

Theodora's  fine  senses  had  perceived  all  this 
long  ago— the  contrast  her  husband  presented 
to  the  rest  of  the  world— and  it  had  made  her 
stand  closer  to  him  and  treat  him  with  more 
deference  than  usual;  her  generous  heart  al- 
198 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ways  responded  to  any  one  or  anything  in  an 
unhappy  position. 

And  through  all  his  thick  skin  Josiah  felt 
something  of  her  tenderness,  and  glowed  with 
pride  in  her. 

Sir  Patrick  Fitzgerald  continued  to  talk,  and 
even  paid  his  niece  some  bluff  compliments. 
Her  manner  was  so  perfect,  he  decided!  Gad! 
he  could  be  proud  of  his  new-found  relation. 
And  though  the  husband  was  nothing  but  a 
grocer  still,  and  looked  it  every  inch,  by  Jove, 
he  was  rich  enough  to  gild  his  vulgarity  and  be 
tolerated  among  the  highest. 

Thus  the  uncle  was  gushing  and  lavish  in 
his  invitations  and  offers  of  friendship.  They 
must  come  to  Beechleigh  for  Whitsuntide.  He 
would  hear  of  no  refusal.  Going  home!  Oh, 
what  nonsense!  Home  was  a  place  one  could 
go  to  at  any  time.  And  he  would  so  like  to 
show  them  Beechleigh  at  its  best,  where  her 
father  had  lived  all  his  young  life. 

Josiah  was  caught  by  his  affable  suggestions. 
Why  should  they  not  go?  Only  that  morning 
he  had  received  a  letter  from  his  agent  at 
Bessington  Hall  to  say  the  place,  unfortunately, 
would  not  be  completely  ready  for  them.  Why, 
then,  should  they  not  accept  this  pleasant  in- 
vitation ? 

199 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Theodora  hesitated — but  he  cut  her  short. 

"  I  am  sure  it  is  very  good  of  you,  Sir  Patrick, 
and  my  wife  and  I  will  be  delighted  to  come," 
he  said. 

By  this  time  the  excitement  of  the  royal 
entrance  and  quadrille  had  somewhat  subsided, 
and  several  people  felt  themselves  drawn  to  be 
presented  to  the  beautiful  young  woman  in 
white  with  the  really  fine  jewels,  and  before  she 
knew  where  she  was,  Theodora  found  herself 
waltzing  with  a  wonderfully  groomed,  ugly 
young  marquis. 

She  had  meant  not  to  dance — not  to  leave  her 
husband's  side ;  but  fate  and  Josiah  had  ordered 
otherwise. 

"Not  dance!  What  nonsense,  my  love !  Go 
at  once  with  his  lordship,"  he  had  said,  when 
Sir  Patrick  had  presented  Lord  Wensleydown. 
And  wincing  at  the  sentence,  Theodora  had  al- 
lowed herself  to  be  whirled  away. 

Her  partner  was  not  more  than  nine-and- 
twenty;  but  he  had  all  the  blase  airs  of  a  man 
of  forty.  He  began  to  say  entreprenant  things 
to  Theodora  after  three  turns  round  the  room. 

She  was  far  too  unsophisticated  to  under- 
stand their  ultimate  meaning,  but  they  made 
her  uncomfortable. 

He  gazed  at  her  loveliness  with  that  insult- 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ing  look  of  sensual  admiration  which  some  men 
think  the  highest  compliment  they  can  pay  to 
a  woman.  And  just  in  the  middle  of  all  this, 
Hector  Bracondale  arrived  upon  the  scene.  He 
had  been  searching  for  her  everyAvhere ;  in  that 
crowd  one  could  miss  any  one  with  ease.  He 
stood  and  watched  her  before  she  caught  sight 
of  him  —  watched  her  pure  whiteness  in  the 
clutches  of  this  beast  of  prey.  Saw  his  burning 
looks ;  noted  his  attitude ;  imagined  his  whisper- 
ings— and  murderous  feelings  leaped  to  his  brain. 

How  dared  Wensleydown!  How  dared  any 
one!  Ah,  God!  and  he  was  powerless  to  pre- 
vent it.  She  was  the  wife  of  Josiah  Brown 
over  there,  smiling  and  complacent  to  see  his 
belonging  dancing  with  a  marquis ! 

"Hector,  dearest,  what  is  the  matter?"  ex- 
claimed Lady  Anningford,  coming  up  at  that 
moment  to  her  brother's  side.  She  was  with 
Colonel  Lowerby,  and  they  had  made  a  tour  of 
the  rooms  on  purpose  to  see  Theodora.  "You 
appear  ready  to  murder  some  one.  What  has 
happened?" 

Hector  looked  straight  at  her.  She  was  a 
very  tall  woman,  almost  his  height,  and  she 
saw  pain  and  rage  and  passion  were  swimming 
in  his  eyes,  while  his  deep  voice  vibrated  as  he 
answered : 

20I 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"  Yes,  I  want  to  murder  some  one — and  pos- 
sibly will  before  the  evening  is  over." 

"Hector!  Crow,  leave  me  with  him,  like 
the  dear  you  always  are,"  she  whispered  to 
Colonel  Lowerby,  "and  come  and  find  me 
again  in  a  few  minutes." 

"Hector,  what  is  it?"  she  asked,  anxiously, 
when  they  stood  alone. 

"Look!"  said  Lord  Bracondale.  "Look  at 
Wensleydown  leaning  over  Theodora."  He 
was  so  moved  that  he  uttered  the  name  with- 
out being  aware  of  it.  "  Did  you  ever  see  such 
a  damned  cad  as  he  is?  Good  God,  I  cannot 
bear  it!" 

"He — he  is  only  dancing  with  her,"  said 
Anne,  soothingly.  What  had  come  to  her 
brother,  her  whimsical,  cynical  brother,  who 
troubled  not  at  all,  as  a  rule,  over  anything  in 
the  world  ? 

"Only  dancing  with  her!  I  tell  you  I  will 
not  bear  it.  Where  is  the  Crow?  Why  did 
you  send  him  off?  I  can't  stay  with  you;  I 
must  go  and  speak  to  her,  and  take  her  away 
from  this." 

"Hector,  for  Heaven's  sake  do  not  be  so 
mad,"  said  Lady  Anningford,  now  really 
alarmed.  "  You  can't  go  up  and  seize  a  woman 
from  her  partner  in  the  middle   of  a  waltz. 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


You  must  be  completely  crazy!  Dear  boy,  let 
us  stay  here  by  the  door  until  the  music  fin- 
ishes, and  then  I  will  speak  to  her  before  they 
can  leave  the  room  to  sit  out." 

She  put  her  hand  on  his  arm  to  detain  him, 
and  started  to  feel  how  it  trembled. 

What  passion  was  this?  Surely  the  Crow 
was  right,  after  all,  and  it  could  only  lead  to 
some  inevitable  catastrophe.  Anne's  heart 
sank;  the  lights  and  the  splendor  seemed  all  a 
gilded  mockery. 

At  that  moment  Morella  Winmarleigh  ad- 
vanced with  Evermond  Le  Mesurier  —  their 
uncle  Evermond — who,  having  other  views  for 
his  own  amusement,  left  her  instantly  at  Anne's 
side  and  disappeared  among  the  crowd. 

"How  impossible  to  find  any  one  in  this 
crush!"  Miss  Winmarleigh  said.  There  was  a 
cackly  tone  in  her  voice,  especially  when  raised 
above  the  din  of  the  music,  which  was  pecul- 
iarly irritating  to  sensitive  ears. 

Hector  felt  he  hated  her. 

Anne  still  kept  her  hand  on  his  arm,  and 
flight  was  hopeless. 

Just  then  a  Royalty  passed  with  their  hostess, 
and  claimed  Lady  Anningford's  attention,  so 
Hector  was  left  sole  guardian  of  ]\forella  Win- 
marleigh. 

203 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


She  cackled  on  about  nothing,  while  his 
every  sense  was  strained  watching  Theodora, 
to  see  that  she  did  not  leave  the  room  without 
his  knowledge. 

She  was  whirling  still  in  the  maze  of  the 
waltz,  and  each  time  she  passed  fresh  waves  of 
rage  surged  in  Hector's  breast,  as  he  perceived 
the  way  in  which  Lord  Wensleydown  held 
her. 

"  Why,  there  is  the  woman  who  was  at  the 
opera  last  night,"  exclaimed  Morella,  at  last. 
"How  in  the  world  did  an  outsider  like  that 
get  here,  I  wonder  ?  She  is  quite  pretty,  close 
— don't  you  think  so.  Hector?  Oh,  I  forgot, 
you  know  her,  of  course ;  you  talked  to  her  last 
night,  I  remember." 

Hector  did  not  answer;  he  was  afraid  to  let 
himself  speak. 

Morella  Winmarleigh  was  looking  her  best. 
A  tonged,  laced,  flounced  best;  and  she  was 
perfectly  conscious  of  it,  and  pleased  with  her- 
self and  her  attractions. 

She  meant  to  keep  Lord  Bracondale  w4th 
her  for  the  rest  of  the  evening  if  possible,  even 
if  she  had  to  descend  to  tricks  scarcely  flatter- 
ing to  her  own  vanity. 

"Do  let  us  go  for  a  walk,"  she  said.  "I 
have  not  yet  seen  the  flower  decorations  in  the 

204 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


yellow  salon,  and  I  hear  they  are  particularly 
fine." 

Hector  by  this  time  was  beside  himself  at 
seeing  Theodora  converging  with  her  partner 
towards  the  large  doors  at  the  other  end  of  the 
ballroom. 

"  No,"  he  said.  "  I  am  very  sorry,  but  I  am 
engaged  for  the  next  dance,  and  must  go  and 
hunt  up  my  partner.     Where  can  I  take  you?" 

Hector  engaged  for  a  dance?  An  unknown 
thing,  and  of  course  imtrue.  What  could  this 
mean?  Who  would  he  dance  with?  That 
colonial  creature?  This  must  be  looked  into 
and  stopped  at  once. 

Miss  Winmarleigh's  thin  under-lip  contract- 
ed, and  a  deeper  red  suffused  her  blooming 
cheeks. 

"I  really  don't  know,"  she  said.  "I  am 
quite  lost,  and  I  am  afraid  you  can't  leave  me 
until  I  find  some  one  to  take  care  of  me." 
And  she  giggled  girlishly. 

That  such  a  large  cow  of  a  woman  should 
want  protection  of  any  sort  seemed  quite 
ridiculous  to  Hector — maddeningly  ridiculous 
at  the  present  moment.  Theodora  had  dis- 
appeared, having  seen  him  standing  there  with 
Morella  Winmarleigh,  who  she  had  been  told 
he  was  going  to  marry. 

«4  205 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


He  was  literally  white  with  suppressed  rage. 
The  Royalty  had  commandeered  Anne,  and 
among  the  dozens  of  people  he  knew  there  was 
not  one  in  sight  with  whom  he  could  plant 
Morella  Winmarleigh;  so  he  gave  her  his  arm, 
and  hurried  along  the  way  Theodora  had  dis- 
appeared. 

"Are  you  going  to  Beechleigh  for  Whitsun- 
tide?" Morella  asked.  "I  am,  and  I  think  we 
shall  have  a  delightful  party." 

Hector  was  not  paying  the  least  attention. 
Theodora  was  completely  out  of  sight  now, 
and  might  be  lost  altogether,  for  all  they  were 
likely  to  overtake  her  among  this  crowd  and 
the  numberless  exits  and  entrances. 

"  Beechleigh!"  he  mumbled,  absently.  "  Who 
lives  there?  I  don't  even  know.  I  am  going 
home." 

"Why,  Hector,  of  course  you  know!  The 
Fitzgeralds — Sir  Patrick  and  Lady  Ada.  Ev- 
ery one  does." 

Then  it  came  to  him.  These  were  Theo- 
dora's uncle  and  aunt.  Was  it  possible  she 
could  be  going  there,  too?  He  recollected  she 
had  told  him  in  Paris  her  father  had  written 
to  this  brother  of  his  about  her  coming  to 
London.  She  might  be  going.  It  was  a 
chance,  and  he  must  ascertain  at  once. 

206 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Sir  Patrick  Fitzgerald  he  knew  at  the  Turf, 
and  now  that  he  thought  of  it  he  knew  Lady 
Ada  by  sight  quite  well,  and  he  was  aware  he 
would  be  a  welcome  guest  at  any  house.  If 
Theodora  was  going,  he  expected  the  thing 
could  be  managed.  Meanwhile,  he  must  find 
her,  and  get  rid  of  IVIorella  Winmarleigh.  He 
hurried  her  on  through  the  blue  salon  and  the 
yellow  salon  and  out  into  the  gallery  beyond. 
Theodora  had  completely  disappeared. 

Miss  Winmarleigh  kept  up  a  constant  chatter 
of  commonplaces,  to  which,  when  he  replied  at 
all,  he  gave  random  answers. 

And  every  moment  she  became  more  an- 
noyed and  uneasy. 

She  had  known  Hector  since  she  was  a  child. 
Their  places  adjoined  in  the  country,  and  she 
saw  him  constantly  when  there.  Her  stolid 
vanity  had  never  permitted  the  suggestion  to 
come  to  her  that  he  had  always  been  com- 
pletely indifferent  to  her.  She  intended  to 
marry  him.  His  mother  shared  her  wishes. 
They  were  continually  thrown  together,  and 
the  thought  of  her  as  a  probable  ending  to  his 
life  when  all  pleasures  should  be  over  had  often 
entered  his  head. 

Before  he  met  Theodora,  if  he  had  ever 
analyzed  his  views  about  Morella,  they  prob- 

207 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ably  would  have  been  that  she  was  a  safe  bore 
with  a  great  many  worldly  advantages.  A 
woman  who  you  could  l)e  sure  would  not  take 
a  lover  a  few  years  after  you  had  married  her, 
and  whom  he  would  probably  marry  if  she 
were  still  free  when  the  time  came. 

His  flittings  from  one  pretty  matron  to  an- 
other had  not  caused  her  grave  anxieties.  He 
could  not  marry  them,  and  he  never  talked 
with  girls  or  possible  rivals.  So  she  had  al- 
ways felt  safe  and  certain  that  fate  would  ulti- 
mately make  him  her  husband. 

But  this  was  different — he  had  never  been 
like  this  before.  And  uneasiness  grabbed  at 
her  well-regulated  heart. 

"Ah,  there  is  my  mother!"  he  exclaimed,  at 
last,  with  such  e\'ident  relief  that  Morella  be- 
gan to  feel  spiteful. 

They  made  their  way  to  where  Lady  Bracon- 
dale  was  standing.  She  beamed  upon  them 
like  a  pleased  pussy-cat.  It  looked  so  suitable 
to  see  them  thus  together! 

"Dearest,"  she  said  to  Morella,  "is  not  this 
a  lovely  ball  ?  And  I  can  see  you  are  enjoying 
yourself." 

Aliss  Winmarleigh  replied  suitably,  and  her 
stolid  face  betrayed  none  of  her  emotion. 

"Mother,"  said  Hector,  "I  wish  you  would 
208 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


introduce  me  to  Lady  Ada  Fitzgerald  when 
you  get  the  chance.     I  see  her  over  there." 

This  was  so  obvious  that  Morella,  who  never 
saw  between  the  lines,  preened  with  pleasure. 
After  all,  he  wished  to  spend  Whitsuntide  with 
her,  and  this  anxiety  to  find  Lady  Bracondale 
had  been  all  on  that  accomit.  Lady  Bracon- 
dale, who  was  acquainted  with  Miss  Winmar- 
leigh's  plans,  made  the  same  interruption,  and 
joy  warmed  her  being. 

She  was  only  too  pleased  to  do  whatever 
he  wished.  And  the  affair  was  soon  accom- 
plished. 

Hector  made  himself  especially  attractive, 
and  Lady  Ada  Fitzgerald  decided  he  was 
charming. 

The  way  paved  for  possible  contingencies,  he 
escaped  from  this  crowd  of  women,  and  once 
more  began  his  search  for  Theodora.  She 
would  certainly  retiim  to  Josiah  some  time. 
To  go  straight  to  him  would  be  the  best  plan. 

Josiah  was  standing  absolutely  alone  by  one 
of  the  windows  in  the  ballroom,  and  looked 
pitiably  uncomfortable  and  ill  at  ease  in  his 
knee-breeches  and  silk  stockings. 

He  had  experienced  such  pleasure  when  he 
had  tried  them  on,  and  had  enjoyed  walking 
through  the  hall  at  Claridge's  to  his  carriage, 

209 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


knowing  the  people  there  would  be  aware  it 
meant  he  was  going  to  meet  the  most  august 
Royalty. 

But  now  he  felt  uncomfortable,  and  kept 
standing  first  on  one  leg,  then  on  the  other. 
Theodora  had  not  returned  to  him  yet:  the 
next  dance  had  not  begun. 

This  great  world  contained  discomfort  as 
well  as  pleasure,  he  decided. 

Hector  walked  straight  over  to  him  and  was 
excessively  polite  and  agreeable,  and  Josiah's 
equanimity  was  somewhat  restored. 

What  could  have  happened  to  Theodora? 
Where  had  that  beast  Wensleydown  taken  her  ? 
Not  to  supper — surely  not  to  supper? — were 
Lord  Bracondale's  thoughts. 

And  then  with  the  first  notes  of  the  next 
dance  she  reappeared.  It  seemed  to  him  she 
was  looking  superbly  lovely:  a  faint  pink  suf- 
fused her  cheeks,  and  her  eyes  were  shining 
with  the  excitement  of  the  scene. 

A  mad  rush  of  passion  surged  over  Hector; 
his  turn  had  come,  he  thought. 

Lord  Wensleydown  seemed  loath  to  release 
her,  and  showed  signs  of  staying  to  talk  awhile. 
So  Hector  interposed  at  once, 

"  May  I  not  have  this  dance  ?  I  have  been 
looking  for  you  everywhere,"  he  said. 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Theodora  told  him  she  was  tired,  and  she 
stood  close  to  her  husband;  tired— and  also 
she  was  quite  sure  Josiah  would  be  bored 
left  all  alone,  so  she  wished  to  stay  with 
him. 

But  Mrs.  Devlyn  made  a  reappearance  just 
then,  and  as  they  spoke  they  saw  Josiah  give 
her  his  arm  and  lead  her  away. 

Thus  Theodora  was  left  standing  alone  with 
Lord  Bracondale. 

Fate  seemed  always  to  nullify  her  good  in- 
tentions. 

It  was  an  exquisite  waltz,  and  the  music 
moimted  to  both  their  brains. 

For  one  moment  the  room  appeared  to  reel 
in  front  of  her,  and  then  she  found  herself 
whirling  in  his  arms.  Oh,  what  bliss  it  was, 
after  this  long  week  of  separation!  What  folly 
and  maddening  bliss! 

Her  senses  were  tingling;  her  lithe,  exquisite, 
willowy  body  thrilled  and  quivered  in  his  em- 
brace. And  they  both  realized  what  a  waltz 
could  be,  as  a  medium  for  joy. 

"We  will  only  have  two  turns  until  the 
crowd  gets  impossible  again,"  he  whispered, 
"and  then  I  will  take  you  to  supper." 

Lady  Anningford  had  been  rejoined  by  the 
Crow,    and   now   stood   watching   them.     She 

211 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


and  her  companion  were  silent  for  a  moment, 
and  then: 

"By  Jove!"  Colonel  Lowerby  said.  "She  is 
certainly  worth  going  to  hell  for,  to  look  at 
even — and  they  don't  appear  as  if  they  would 
take  long  on  the  road." 


XX 


"Oh,  Crow,  dear,  what  are  we  to  do,  then?" 
said  Lady  Anningford.  "  Surely,  surely  you 
don't  anticipate  any  sudden  catastrophe?  In 
these  days  people  never  run  away—" 

"No,"  said  the  Crow.  "They  stay  at  home 
until  the  footman,  or  the  man's  last  mistress, 
or  the  woman's  dearest  friend,  send  anony- 
mous letters  to  the  husband." 

"But—" 

"Well,  I  tell  you.  Queen  Anne,  to  me  this 
appears  serious.  I  know  Hector  pretty  well, 
and  I  have  never  seen  him  as  far  gone  as  this 
before.  The  woman — she  is  a  mere  child — 
looks  as  unsophisticated  as  a  baby,  and  prob- 
ably is.  She  won't  have  the  least  idea  of  man- 
aging the  affair.  She  will  tumble  headlong 
into  it." 

"Well,  what  is  to  be  done,  then?"  exclaimed 
Anne,  piteously. 

"  You  had  better  talk  to  him  quietly.  He  is 
very  fond  of  you.  Though  nothing)  I  am 
afraid,  will  be  of  the  least  use,"  said  the  Crow. 

213 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"But  if  she  is  going  into  the  country  they 
won't  meet,"  reasoned  Anne.  "You  saw  the 
dreadful-looking  husband  just  now.  Will  he 
be  the  colonial  who  will  object,  do  you  think, 
or  the  English  snob  who  won't?" 

But  the  Crow  refused  to  give  any  more 
opinions  except  in  general. 

It  all  came,  he  said,  from  the  ridiculous  mar- 
riage laws  in  this  over-civilized  country.  Why 
should  not  people  eminently  suited  to  each 
other  be  allowed  to  be  happy? 

"It  is  too  bad,  Crov/,"  said  Anne.  "You 
take  it  for  granted  that  Hector  has  the  most 
dishonorable  intentions  towards  Mrs.  Brown. 
He  may  worship  her  quite  in  the  abstract." 

"Fiddle-dee-dee,  my  child!"  said  Colonel 
Lowerby.  "Look  at  him!  You  don't  under- 
stand the  fimdamental  principles  of  human 
nature  if  you  say  that.  When  a  man  is  madly 
in  love  with  a  woman,  nature  says,  'This  is 
your  mate, '  not  a  saint  of  alabaster  on  a  church 
altar.  There  are  numbers  of  animals  about 
who  find  a  'mate'  in  every  woman  they  come 
across.  But  Hector  is  not  that  sort.  Look  at 
his  face— look  at  him  nov/  they  are  passing  us, 
and  tell  me  if  you  see  any  abstract  about  it?" 

Anne  was  forced  to  admit  she  did  not;  and 
it  was  with   intense   uneasiness   she   saw   her 

214 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


brother  and  his  partner  stop,  and  disappear 
through  one  of  the  doors  towards  the  supper- 
room. 

When  her  mother  perceived  the  situation — 
or  Morella — disagreeable  moments  would  begin 
at  once  for  everybody! 

Meanwhile,  the  culprits  a v^ere  extremely  happy. 

With  the  finest  and  noblest  intention  in  the 
world,  Theodora  was  too  young,  and  too 
healthy,  not  to  have  become  exhilarated  with 
the  dance  and  the  scene.  Something  whisper- 
ed, Why  should  she  not  enjoy  herself  to-night  ? 
What  harm  could  there  be  in  dancing  ?  Every 
one  danced — and  Josiah,  himself,  had  left  her 
alone. 

Hector  had  not  said  a  word  that  she  must 
rebuke  him  for;  they  had  just  waltzed  and 
thrilled,  and  been — happy! 

And  now  she  was  going  to  eat  some  supper 
with  him,  and  forget  there  were  any  to-morrows. 

They  found  a  sccli:dGd  corner,  and  spent  half 
an  hour  in  perfect  peace.  Hector  was  an 
artist  in  pleasing  women — and  to-night,  though 
he  never  once  transgressed  in  words,  she  could 
feel  through  it  all  that  he  loved  her — loved  her 
madly.  His  voice  was  so  tender  and  deep,  and 
his  thought  for  her  slightest  wish  and  comfort 
so  evident;  he  was  masterful,  too,  and  settled 

215 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


what  she  was  to  do — where  to  sit,  and  now  and 
then  he  made  her  look  at  him. 

He  was  just  so  wildly  happy  he  could  not 
stop  to  count  the  cost ;  and  while  he  worshipped 
her  more  deeply  than  when  they  had  sat  on  the 
soft  greensward  at  Versailles,  even  the  whole 
sight  of  her  pure  soul  now  could  not  stop  him 
— now  he  knew  she  loved  him,  and  that  there 
were  possible  others  on  the  scene.  She  had 
trusted  him  —  had  appealed  to  his  superior 
strength;  he  did  not  forget  that  fact  quite — 
but  here  at  a  ball  was  not  the  place  to  analyze 
what  it  w^ould  mean.  They  were  just  two 
guests  dancing  and  supping  like  the  rest,  and 
were  supremely  content. 

He  found  out  where  she  was  going  for  Whit- 
suntide, but  said  nothing  of  his  own  intentions. 

The  blindness  and  madness  of  love  was  upon 
him  and  held  him  in  complete  bondage.  The 
first  shock,  which  her  look  of  the  wounded 
fawn  had  given  him,  was  over.  They  had 
stiffered,  and  made  good  resolutions,  and  part- 
ed, and  now  they  had  met  again.  And  he 
could  not,  and  would  not,  think  where  they 
might  drift  to. 

To  be  near  her,  to  look  into  her  eyes,  to  be 
conscious  of  her  personality  was  what  he  asked 
at  the  moment,  what  he  must  have.     The  rest 

216 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


of  time  was  a  blank,  and  meaningless.  It  is 
not  every  man  who  loves  in  this  way — fort- 
unately for  the  rest  of  the  world!  Many  go 
through  life  with  now  and  then  a  different 
woman  merely  as  an  episode,  as  far  as  any- 
thing but  a  physical  emotion  is  concerned. 
Sport,  or  their  own  ambitions,  fill  up  their  real 
interests,  and  no  woman  could  break  their 
hearts. 

But  Hector  was  not  of  these.  And  this 
woman  had  it  in  her  power  to  make  his  heaven 
or  hell. 

They  had  both  passed  through  moments  of 
exalted  sentiment,  even  a  little  dramatic  in 
their  tragedy  and  renunciation,  but  circum- 
stance is  stronger  always  than  an^^  highly 
strung  emotion  of  good  or  evil.  At  the  end  of 
their  good-bye  at  IMadrid  their  story  should 
have  closed,  as  the  stories  in  books  so  often  do, 
with  the  hero  and  heroine  worked  up  to  some 
wonderful  pitch  of  self-sacrifice  and  drama. 
They  so  seldom  tell  of  the  flatness  of  the  after- 
wards. The  impossibility  of  retaining  a  bal- 
ance on  this  high  pinnacle  of  moral  valor, 
where  circumstance,  which  is  a  commonplace 
and  often  material  thing,  decrees  that  the 
lights  shall  not  be  turned  out  with  the  ring- 
down  of  the  curtain. 

217 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Unless  death  finishes  what  is  apparently  the 
last  act,  there  is  always  the  to-morrow  to  be 
reckoned  with  —  out  of  the  story-book.  So 
while  exalted — he  by  his  sudden  worship  of 
that  pure  sweetness  of  soul  in  Theodora  which 
he  had  discovered,  she  by  her  innocence  and 
desire  to  do  right — they  had  been  able  to  tune 
their  minds  to  an  idea  of  a  tender  good-bye, 
full  of  sentiment  and  vows  of  abstract  devotion 
and  adherence  to  duty. 

And  if  he  had  gone  to  the  ends  of  the  earth 
that  night  the  exaltation,  as  a  memory,  might 
have  continued,  and  time  might  have  healed 
their  hurts — time  and  the  starvation  of  ab- 
sence and  separation.  But  fate  had  decreed 
they  should  meet  again,  and  soon;  and  all  the 
forces  which  precipitate  matters  should  be  em- 
ployed for  their  undoing. 

For  all  else  in  life  Hector  was  no  weakling. 
He  had  always  been  a  strong  man,  physically 
and  morally. 

His  views  were  the  views  of  the  world.  It 
seemed  no  great  sin  to  him  to  love  another 
man's  wife.  All  his  friends  did  the  same  at 
one  period  or  another. 

It  was  only  when  Theodora  had  awakened 
him  that  he  had  begun  even  to  think  of  con- 
trolling himself. 

218 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


It  was  to  please  her,  not  because  he  was 
really  convinced  of  the  right  and  necessity  of 
their  course  of  action,  that  he  had  said  good- 
bye and  agreed  to  worship  her  in  the  abstract. 

He  had  been  highly  moved  and  elevated  by 
her  that  night  in  Paris.  And  when  he  wrote 
the  letter  his  honest  intention  had  been  to  fol- 
low its  words. 

He  did  not  recognize  the  fact  that  without 
the  zeal  of  blind  faith  as  to  the  right,  human 
nature  must  always  yield  to  inclination. 

So  they  sat  there  and  ate  their  supper,  and 
forgot  to-morrow,  and  were  radiantly  happy. 

As  they  had  gone  down  the  stairs  Monica 
Ellerwood  had  joined  Lady  Bracondale  in  the 
gallery  above. 

"Oh!  Look,  Aunt  ,Milly!"  she  had  said. 
"Hector  is  with  the  American  I  told  you 
about  in  Paris.  Do  you  see,  going  down  to 
supper.  Oh,  isn't  she  pretty!  and  what  jewels 
—look!" 

And  Lady  Bracondale  had  moved  forward  in 
a  manner  quite  foreign  to  her  usual  dignity  to 
catch  sight  of  them. 

"It  is  the  same  woman  he  talked  to  at  the 

opera  last  night,"  she  said.     "She  is  not  an 

American,   but  a  Mrs.   Brown,   an  Australian 

millionaire's  wife,  we  were  told.     She  is  cer- 

219 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


tainly  pretty.     Oh — eh— you  said  Hector  was 
devoted  to  her  in  Paris?" 

"Why,  of  course!     You  can  ask  Jack." 

"  I  do  not  think  we  need  worry,  though,  dear, 
because  I  am  happy  to  say  Hector  shows  great 
signs  of  wishing  to  be  with  Morella." 

And  with  this  pleasing  thought  she  had 
turned  the  conversation. 

"I  think  we  must  go  back  now,"  said  Theo- 
dora, after  she  had  finished  the  last  monster 
strawberry  on  her  plate.  "Josiah  may  be 
waiting  for  me." 

Oh,  she  had  been  so  happy!  There  was 
that  sense  vibrating  through  everything  that 
he  loved  her,  and  they  were  together — but  now 
it  must  end. 

So  they  made  their  way  up  the  stairs  and 
back  to  the  ballroom. 

Mrs.  Devlyn  had  abandoned  Josiah,  and  he 
stood  once  more  alone  and  supremely  uncom- 
fortable. A  pang  of  remorse  seized  Theodora ; 
she  wished  she  had  not  stayed  so  long;  she 
would  not  leave  him  again  for  a  moment. 

He  had  supped,  it  appeared,  been  hurried 
over  it  because  Mrs.  Devlyn  wished  to  return, 
and  was  now  feeling  cross  and  tired.  He  was 
quite  ready  to  leave  when  Theodora  suggested 
it,   and  they  said  good-night  to  Hector  and 

220 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


descended  to  find  their  carriage.  But  in  that 
crowd  it  was  not  such  an  easy  matter. 

There  w?s  a  long  wait  in  the  hall,  where  they 
were  joinea  by  the  assiduous  Marquis  and 
Delaval  Stirling.  And  Hector,  from  a  place 
on  the  stairs,  had  all  his  feelings  of  jealous  rage 
aroused  again  in  watching  them  while  he  was 
detained  where  he  was  by  his  hostess. 

Meanwhile,  Sir  Patrick  Fitzgerald  had  gone 
about  telling  ever}'  one  of  the  beauty  of  his 
new-found  niece,  and  had  brought  his  wife  to 
be  introduced  to  her  just  after  Theodora  had 
left. 

Since  his  scapegrace  brother  was  going  to 
make  such  an  advantageous  marriage,  and  this 
niece  had  proved  a  lovely  woman,  and  rich 
withal,  he  quite  admitted  the  ties  of  blood 
were  thicker  than  water. 

Lady  Ada  was  not  of  like  opinion;  she  had 
enough  relations  of  her  own,  and  resented  his 
haAnng  asked  the  Browns  to  Eeechleigh  for 
Whitsuntide. 

"  I\Iy  party  was  all  made  up  but  for  one  extra 
man,"  she  said,  "whom  I  think  I  have  found; 
and  we  did  not  need  these  people." 


XXI 

Lord  Bracondale  arrived  at  his  sister's 
house  in  Charles  Street  about  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  before  her  luncheon  guests  were  due. 

Anne  rushed  down  to  see  him,  meeting  her 
husband  on  the  stairs. 

"Oh,  don't  come  in  yet,  Billy,  like  a  dar- 
ling," she  said,  "  I  want  to  talk  to  Hector  alone." 

And  the  meek  and  fond  Lord  Anningford 
had  obediently  retired  to  his  smoking-room. 

"Well,  Hector,"  she  said,  when  she  had 
greeted  him,  "  and  so  you  are  going  to  the  Fitz- 
geralds'  for  Whitsuntide,  and  not  to  Bracon- 
dale, mother  tells  me  this  morning.  She  is  in 
the  seventh  heaven,  taking  it  for  a  sign,  as  you 
had  to  manoeuvre  so  to  be  asked,  that  things 
are  coming  to  a  climax  between  you  and 
Morella." 

"Morella?  Is  she  going?"  said  Hector,  ab- 
sently. He  had  quite  forgotten  that  fact,  so 
perfectly  indifferent  was  he  to  her  movements, 
and  so  completely  had  his  own  aims  engrossed 
him. 

222 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


' '  Why — dear  boy ! "  Anne  gasped .  The  whole 
scene,  highly  colored  by  repetition,  had  been  re- 
counted to  her.  How  Morella  had  told  him  of 
her  plans,  and  how  he  had  at  once  got  intro- 
duced to  Lady  Ada,  and  played  his  cards  so 
skilfully  that  the  end  of  the  evening  produced 
the  invitation. 

"Oh  yes,  of  course,  I  remember  she  is  go- 
ing," he  said,  impatiently.  "  Anne,  you  haven't 
asked  that  beast  Wensleydown  to-day,  have 
you?" 

"No,  dear.     What  made  you  think  so?" 

"  I  saw  you  talking  to  him  in  the  park  this 

morning,  and  I  feared  you  might  have.     I  shall 

certainly  quarrel  with  him  one  of  these  days." 

"You  will   have   an   opportunity,   then,    at 

Beechleigh,  as  he  will  be  there.     He  is  always 

with  the  Fitzgeralds,"  Anne  said,  and  she  tried 

to  laugh.     "  But  don't  make  a  scandal,  Hector." 

She  saw  his  eyes  blaze. 

"  He  is  going  there,  is  he?"  he  said,  and  then 
he  stared  out  of  the  window. 

Anne  knew  nothing  of  the  relationship  be- 
tween Theodora  and  Sir  Patrick.  She  never 
for  a  moment  imagined  the  humble  Browns 
would  be  invited  to  this  exceptionally  smart 
party.  And  yet  she  was  uneasy.  Why  was 
Hector  going?     What  plan  was  in  his  head? 

223 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Not  Morella,  evidently.  But  she  had  never 
believed  that  would  be  his  attraction. 

And  Hector  was  too  preoccupied  to  en- 
lighten her. 

"  Is  mother  coming  to  lunch?"  he  asked. 

"  Yes,  by  her  own  request.  I  had  not  meant 
to  ask  her —  Oh,  well,  you  know,  she  is  never 
very  pleased  at  your  having  new  friends,  and  I 
thought  she  might  fix  Mrs.  Brown  with  that 
stony  stare  she  has  sometimes,  and  we  would 
be  happier  without  her;  but  she  was  deter- 
mined to  come." 

"It  is  just  as  well,"  he  said,  "because  she 
will  have  to  get  accustomed  to  it.  I  shall  ask 
my  friends  the  Browns  down  to  Bracondale  on 
every  occasion,  and  as  she  is  hostess  there  the 
stony  stare  won't  answer." 

"Manage  her  as  best  you  may,"  said  Anne. 
"  But  you  know  how  she  can  be  now  and  then 
— perfectly  annihilating  to  unfortunate  stran- 
gers." 

Hector's  finely  chiselled  lips  shut  like  a  vise. 

"We  shall  see,"  he  said.  "And  who  else 
have  you  got?  None  of  the  Harrowfield- 
Devlyn  crew,  I  hope — " 

"Hector,  how  strange  you  are!  I  thought 
you  and  Lady  Harrowfield  were  the  greatest 
friends,  so  of  course  I  asked  her.  No  one  in 
224 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


London  can  make  a  woman's  success  as  she 
can." 

"  Or  mar  it  so  completely  if  she  takes  a  dis- 
like! Have  you  ever  heard  of  her  doing  a 
kindness  to  any  one?  I  haven't!"  he  said, 
irritably. 

Then  he  walked  to  the  window  and  back 
quickly. 

"  I  tell  you  I  am  sick  of  it  all,  Anne.  Last 
night,  whoever  I  spoke  to  had  something  vile 
to  impute  or  insinuate  about  every  one  they 
mentioned;  and  Lady  Harrowfield,  with  a 
record  of  her  own  worse  than  the  lowest,  rode 
a  high  horse  of  virtue,  and  was  more  spiteful 
than  all  the  rest  put  together.  I  loathe  them, 
the  whole  crew.  What  do  they  know  of  any- 
thing good  or  pure  or  fine?  Painted  Jezebels, 
the  lot  of  them!" 

"Hector!"  almost  screamed  Lady  Anning- 
ford.  "What  has  come  over  you,  my  dear 
boy?" 

"I  will  tell  you,"  he  said;  and  his  voice, 
which  had  been  full  of  passion,  now  melted  into 
a  tone  of  deep  tenderness.  "  I  love  a  woman 
whose  pure  goodness  has  taught  me  there  are 
other  possibilities  in  life  beyond  the  aims  of 
these  vile  harpies  of  our  world  —  a  woman 
whose   very  presence  makes  one  long  to  be 

225 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


better  and  nobler,  whose  dear  soul  has  not 
room  for  anything  but  kind  and  loving  thoughts 
of  sweetness  and  light.  Oh,  Anne,  if  I  might 
have  her  for  my  own,  and  live  away  down  at 
Bracondale  far  from  all  this,  I  think — I  think 
I,  too,  could  learn  what  heaven  would  mean  on 
earth." 

"Dear  Hector!"  said  Anne,  who  was  greatly 
moved.  "Oh,  I  am  so  sorry  for  you!  But 
what  is  to  be  done?  She  is  married  to  some- 
body else,  and  you  will  only  injure  her  and 
yourself  if  you  see  too  much  of  her." 

"I  know,"  he  said.  "I  realize  it  sometimes 
— this  morning,  for  instance — and  then — and 
then—" 

He  did  not  add  that  the  thought  of  Lord 
Wen  sley down  and  the  rest  swarming  round 
Theodora  drove  him  mad,  deprived  him  of  his 
power  of  reasoning,  and  filled  him  with  a  wild 
desire  to  protect  her,  to  be  near  her,  to  keep 
her  always  for  himself,  always  in  his  sight. 

"Anne,"  he  said,  at  last,  "promise  me  you 
will  go  out  of  your  way  to  be  kind  to  her. 
Don't  let  these  other  odious  women  put  pin- 
points into  her,  because  she  is  so  innocent,  and 
all  unused  to  this  society.  She  is  just  my 
queen  and  my  darling.  Will  you  remember 
that?" 

226 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


And  as  Anne  looked  she  saw  there  were  two 
great  tears  in  his  eyes  —  his  deep -gray  eyes 
which  ahvays  wore  a  smile  of  whimsical 
mockery — and  she  felt  a  lump  in  her  throat. 

This  dear,  dear  brother!  And  she  could  do 
nothing  to  comfort  him — one  way  or  another. 

"Hector,  I  will  promise — always,"  she  said, 
and  her  voice  trembled.  "  I  am  sure  she  is 
sweet  and  good ;  and  she  is  so  lovely  and  fasci- 
nating— and  oh,  I  wish — I  wish — too!" 

Then  he  bent  down  and  Idssed  her,  just  as 
his  mother  and  Lady  Harrowfield  came  into 
the  room. 

Anne"  felt  glad  she  had  not  informed  them 
they  were  to  meet  the  Browns,  as  was  her  first 
intention.  She  seemed  suddenly  to  see  with 
Hector's  eyes,  and  to  realize  how  narrow  and 
spiteful  Lady  Harrowfield  could  be. 

Most  of  the  guests  arrived  one  after  the 
other,  and  were  talking  about  the  intimate 
things  they  all  knew,  when  "Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brown"  were  announced,  and  the  whole  party 
turned  to  look  at  them,  while  Lady  Harrow- 
field  tittered,  and  whispered  almost  audibly  to 
her  neighbor: 

"These  are  the  creatures  Florence  insisted 
upon  my  giving  an  invitation  to  last  night.  I 
did  it  for  her  sake,  of  course,  so  wretchedly 
227 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


poor  she  is,  dear  Florence,  and  she  hopes  to 
make  a  good  thing  out  of  them.  Look  at  the 
man!"  she  added.  "Has  one  ever  seen  such  a 
person,  except  in  a  pork -butcher's  shop!" 

"I  have  never  been  in  one,"  said  Hector, 
agreeably,  a  dangerous  flash  in  his  eyes;  "but 
I  hear  things  are  too  wonderfully  managed  at 
Harrowfield  House — though  I  had  no  idea  you 
did  the  shopping  yourself,  dear  Lady  Harrow- 
field." 

She  looked  up  at  him,  rage  in  her  heart. 
Hector  had  long  been  a  hopeless  passion  of  hers 
— so  good-looking,  so  whimsical,  and,  above 
all,  so  indifferent!  She  had  never  been  able 
to  dominate  and  ride  rough  -  shod  over  him. 
When  she  was  rude  and  spiteful  he  answered 
her  back,  and  then  neglected  her  for  the  rest 
of  the  evening. 

But  why  should  he  defend  these  people, 
whom,  probably,  he  did  not  even  know? 

She  would  watch  and  see. 

Then  they  went  in  to  luncheon,  without 
waiting  for  two  or  three  stray  young  men  who 
were  always  late. 

And  Theodora  found  herself  sitting  between 
the  Crow  and  a  sleek-looking  politician;  while 
poor  Josiah,  extremely  ill  at  ease,  sat  at  the 
left  hand  of  his  hostess. 
228 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Anne  had  purposely  not  put  Hector  near 
Theodora;  with  her  mother  there  she  thought 
it  was  wiser  not  to  run  any  risks. 

Lady  Bracondale  was  sufficiently  soothed  by 
her  happy  dream  of  the  cause  of  Hector's  visit 
to  Beechleigh  to  be  coldly  polite  to  Theodora, 
whom  Anne  had  presented  to  her  before 
luncheon.  She  sat  at  the  turn  of  the  long,  oval 
table  just  one  off,  and  was  consequently  able 
to  observe  her  very  carefully. 

"  She  is  extremely  pretty  and  looks  well 
bred  —  quite  too  extraordinary,"  she  said  to 
herself,  in  a  running  commentary.  "Grand- 
father a  convict,  no  doubt.  She  reminds  me 
of  poor  Minnie  Borringdon,  who  ran  off  with 
that  charming  scapegrace  brother  of  Patrick 
Fitzgerald.     I  wonder  what  became  of  them?" 

Lady  Bracondale  deplored  the  ways  of  many 
of  the  set  she  was  obliged  to  move  in — Delicia 
Harrowfield,  for  instance.  But  what  was  one 
to  do?  One  must  know  one's  old  friends, 
especialty  those  to  whom  one  had  been  a 
bridesmaid ! 

The  Crow,  who  had  begun  by  being  deter- 
mined to  find  Theodora  as  cunning  as  other 
angels  he  was  acquainted  with,  before  the 
second  course  had  fallen  completely  under  her 
spell. 

229 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


No  one  to  look  into  her  tender  eyes  could 
form  an  adverse  opinion  about  her;  and  her 
gentle  voice,  which  only  said  kind  things,  was 
pleasing  to  the  ear. 

"  Ton  my  soul,  Hector  is  not  such  a  fool  as 
I  thought,"  Colonel  Lowerby  said  to  himself. 
"This  seems  a  bit  of  pure  gold — poor  little 
white  lady!     What  will  be  the  end  of  her?" 

And  opposite,  Hector,  with  great  caution, 
devoured  her  with  his  eyes. 

Theodora  herself  was  quite  happy,  though 
her  delicate  intuition  told  her  Lady  Harrow- 
field  was  antagonistic  to  her,  and  Hector's 
mother  exceedingly  stiff,  while  most  of  the 
other  women  eyed  her  clothes  and  talked  over 
her  head.  But  they  all  seemed  of  very  little 
consequence  to  her,  somehow. 

She  was  like  the  sun,  who  continues  to  shine 
and  give  warmth  and  light  no  matter  how 
much  ugly  imps  may  look  up  and  make  faces 
at  him. 

Theodora  was  never  ill  at  ease.  It  would 
grieve  her  sensitive  heart  to  the  core  if  those 
she  loved  made  the  faintest  shade  of  difference 
in  their  treatment  of  her — but  strangers !  They 
counted  not  at  all,  she  had  too  little  vanity. 

Both  her  neighbors,  the  young  politician  and 
the  Crow,  were  completely  fascinated  by  her. 

230 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


She  had  not  the  shghtest  accent  in  speaking 
English,  but  now  and  then  her  phrasing  had  a 
quaint  turn  which  was  original  and  attractive. 

Anne  was  not  enjoying  her  luncheon-party. 
The  impression  of  sorrow  and  calamity  which 
the  conversation  with  her  brother  had  left  upon 
her  deepened  rather  than  wore  off. 

Josiah's  commonplace  and  sometimes  im- 
possible remarks  perhaps  helped  it. 

She  seemed  to  realize  how  it  must  all  jar  on 
Hector.  To  know  his  loved  one  belonged  to 
this  worthy  grocer — to  understand  the  hope- 
lessness of  the  position! 

Anne  was  proud  of  her  family  and  her  old 
name.  It  was  grief,  too,  to  think  that  after 
Hector  the  title  would  go  to  Evermond  Le 
Mesurier,  the  unmarried  and  dissolute  uncle, 
if  he  survived  his  nephew,  and  then  would  die 
out  altogether.  There  would  be  no  more 
Baron  Bracondales  of  Bracondale,  unless  Hec- 
tor chose  to  marr>''  and  have  sons.  Oh,  life 
was  a  topsy-turvy  affair  at  the  best  of  times, 
she  sighed  to  herself. 

Just  before  the  ladies  left  the  table,  Josiah 
had  announced  their  intended  visit  to  Beech- 
leigh,  and  his  wife's  relationship  to  Sir  Patrick 
Fitzgerald  and  the  old  Earl  Borringdon. 

It  came  as  a  thunderclap  to  Lady  Anning- 
231 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ford.  This  accounted  for  Hector's  eagerness 
to  obtain  the  invitation — accounted  for  Theo- 
dora's exceeding  look  of  breeding — accounted 
for  many  things. 

She  only  trusted  her  mother  had  not  heard 
the  news  also.  So  much  better  to  leave  her  in 
her  fool's  paradise  about  Morella. 

If  Lady  Harrowfield  knev/,  she  said  nothing 
about  it.  She  absolutely  ignored  Theodora, 
as  though  she  had  never  shaken  hands  with  her 
in  her  own  house  the  night  before.  Theodora 
wondered  at  her  manners — she  did  not  yet  know 
j\Iayfair. 

The  conversation  turned  upon  some  of  the 
wonderful  charities  they  were  all  interested  in, 
and  Theodora  thought  how  good  and  kind  of 
them  to  help  the  poor  and  crippled.  And  she 
said  some  gentle,  sympathetic  things  to  a  lady 
who  was  near  her.  And  Anne  thought  to  her- 
self how  sweet  and  beautiful  her  nature  must 
be,  and  it  made  her  sadder  and  sadder. 

Presently  they  all  began  to  discuss  the  ball 
at  Harrowfield  House.  It  had  been  too  lovely, 
they  said,  and  Lady  Harrowfield  joined  in  with 
one  of  her  sharp  thrusts. 

"  Of  course  it  could  not  be  just  as  one  would 
have  wished.  I  was  obliged  to  ask  all  sorts  of 
people  I  had  never  even  heard  of,"  she  said. 

232 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"The  usual  grabbing  for  invitations,  you 
know,  to  see  the  Royalties.  Really,  the  quaint 
creatures  who  came  up  the  stairs!  I  almost 
laughed  in  their  faces  once  or  twice." 

"  But  don't  you  like  to  feel  what  pleasure 
you  gave  them,  the  poor  things?"  Theodora 
said,  quite  simply,  without  the  least  sarcasm. 
"You  see,  I  know  you  gave  them  pleasure,  be- 
cause my  husband  and  I  were  some  of  them — 
and  we  enjoyed  it,  oh,  so  much!" 

And  she  smiled  one  of  her  adorable  smiles 
which  melted  the  heart  of  every  one  else  in  the 
room.  But  of  Lady  Harrowfield  she  made  an 
enemy  for  life.  The  venomous  woman  red- 
dened violently — under  her  paint — while  she 
looked  this  upstart  through  and  through.  But 
Theodora  was  quite  unconscious  of  her  anger. 
To  her  Lady  Harrowfield  seemed  a  poor,  soured 
old  woman  very  much  painted  and  ridiculous, 
and  she  felt  sorry  for  unlovely  old  age  and  ill- 
temper. 

Meanwhile,  Lady  Bracondale  was  being  favor- 
ably im.pressed.  She  was  a  most  presentable 
young  person,  this  wife  of  the  Australian  mill- 
ionaire, she  decided. 

Anne  took  the  greatest  pains  to  be  charming 
to  Theodora.  They  were  sitting  together  on  a 
sofa  when  the  men  came  into  the  room. 

233 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Hector  could  keep  away  no  longer.  He 
joined  them  in  their  corner,  while  his  face 
beamed  with  joy  to  see  the  two  people  he  loved 
best  in  the  world  apparently  getting  on  so  M^ell 
together. 

"What  have  you  been  talking  about?"  he 
asked. 

"Nothing  very  learned,"  said  Anne.  "Only 
the  children.  I  was  telling  Mrs.  Brown  how 
Fordy's  pony  ran  away  in  the  park  this 
morning,  and  how  plucky  he  had  been  about 
it." 

"They  are  rather  nice  infants,"  said  Hector. 
"  I  should  like  you  to  see  them,"  and  he  looked 
at  Theodora.  "  Mayn't  we  have  them  down, 
Anne?" 

Lady  Anningford  adored  her  offspring,  and 
was  only  too  pleased  to  show  them;  but  she 
said: 

"Oh,  wait  a  moment,  Hector,  until  some  of 
these  people  have  gone.  Lady  Harrowfield 
hates  children,  and  Fordy  made  some  terrible 
remarks  about  her  wig  last  time." 

"I  wish  he  would  do  it  again,"  said  Hector. 
"She  took  the  skin  off  every  one  the  whole 
way  through  lunch." 

"  But  Colonel  Lowerby  told  me  she  was  one 
of  the  cleverest  women  in  London!"  exclaimed 

234 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Theodora;  "and  surely  it  is  not  very  clever 
just  to  be  bitter  and  spiteful!" 

"Yes,  she  is  clever,"  said  Anne,  with  a  pe- 
culiar smile,  "and  we  are  all  rather  under  her 
thumb." 

"  It  is  perfectly  ridiculous  how  you  pander  to 
her!"  Hector  said,  impatiently.  "I  should 
never  allow  my  wife  to  have  anything  but  a 
distant  acquaintance  with  her  if  I  were  mar- 
ried," and  he  glanced  at  Theodora. 

Lady  Anningford's  duties  as  hostess  took  her 
away  from  them  then,  and  he  sat  down  on  the 
sofa  in  her  place. 

"Oh,  how  I  hate  all  this!"  he  said.  "How 
different  it  is  to  Paris!  It  grates  and  jars  and 
brings  out  the  worst  in  one.  These  odious 
women  and  their  little,  narrow  ways!  You  will 
never  stay  much  in  London  —  will  you,  Theo- 
dora?" 

"I  have  always  to  do  what  Josiah  wishes, 
you  know;  he  rather  likes  it,  and  means  us  to 
come  back  after  Whitsuntide,  I  think." 

Hector  seemed  to  have  lost  the  power  of 
looking  ahead.  Whitsuntide,  and  to  be  with 
her  in  the  country  tor  that  time,  appeared  to 
him  the  boundary  of  his  outlook. 

What  would  happen  after  Whitsuntide? 
Who  could  say? 

235 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


He  longed  to  tell  her  how  his  thoughts  were 
forever  going  back  to  the  day  at  Versailles,  and 
the  peace  and  beauty  of  those  woods — how  all 
seemed  here  as  though  something  were  drag- 
ging him  down  to  the  commonplace;  away  out 
of  their  exalted  dream,  to  a  dull  earth.  But 
he  dared  not — he  must  keep  to  subjects  less 
moving.  So  there  was  silence  for  some  mo- 
ments. 

Theodora,  since  coming  to  London,  had  be- 
gun to  understand  it  was  possible  for  beautiful 
Englishmen  to  be  husbands  now  and  then,  and 
that  the  term  is  not  necessarily  synonymous 
with  "bore"  and  "duty" — as  she  had  always 
thought  it  from  her  meagre  experience. 

She  could  not  help  picturing  what  a  position 
of  exquisite  happiness  some  nice  girl  might 
have — some  day — as  Hector's  wife.  And  she 
looked  out  of  the  window,  and  her  eyes  were 
sad.  While  the  vision  which  floated  to  him  at 
the  same  moment  was  of  her  at  his  side  at 
Bracondale,  and  the  delicious  joy  of  possessing 
for  their  own  some  gay  and  merry  babies  like 
Fordy  and  his  little  brother  and  sister.  And 
each  saw  a  wistful  longing  in  the  other's  eyes, 
and  they  talked  quickly  of  banal  things. 


XXII 

The  Crow  stayed  on  after  all  the  other 
guests  had  left.  He  knew  his  hostess  wished 
to  talk  to  him. 

It  had  begun  to  pour  with  rain,  and  the 
dripping  streets  held  out  no  inducement  to 
them  to  go  out. 

They  pulled  up  their  two  comfortable  arm- 
chairs to  the  sparkling  wood  fire,  and  then 
Colonel  Lowerby  said: 

"You  look  sad,  Queen  Anne.  Tell  me  about 
it." 

"Yes,  I  am  sad,"  said  Anne.  "The  position 
is  so  hopeless.  Hector  loves  her — loves  her 
really — and  I  do  not  wonder  at  it;  and  she 
seems  just  everything  that  one  could  wish 
for  him.  A  thousand  times  above  Morella  in 
intellect  and  understanding.  All  the  things 
Hector  and  I  like  she  sees  at  once.  No  need 
of  explaining  to  her,  as  one  has  to  to  mother 
and  Morella  always." 

"Yes,"  said  the  Crow.  He  did  not  argue 
with  her  as  usual. 

i6  237 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"It  seems  so  fearful  to  think  of  her  forever 
bound  to  that  dreadful  old  grocer,  whom  she 
treats  with  so  much  deference  and  gentleness. 
The  whole  thing  has  made  me  sad.  Hector  is 
perfectly  miserable;  and,  do  you  know,  they 
are  going  to  Beechleigh  for  Whitsuntide.  Sir 
Patrick  Fitzgerald  is  her  uncle — and,  of  course, 
Hector  is  going,  too,  and — " 

She  did  not  finish  her  sentence.  Her  voice  died 
away  in  a  pathetic  note  as  she  gazed  into  the  fire. 

The  Crow  fidgeted;  he  had  been  devoted  to 
Anne  since  she  was  a  child  of  ten,  and  he  hated 
to  see  her  troubled. 

"Look  here,"  he  said.  "I  investigated  her 
thoroughly  at  luncheon,  and  I  don't  often 
make  a  mistake,  do  I?" 

"No,"  said  Anne.     "Well—?" 

"Well,  she  appeared  to  me  to  have  some 
particular  quality  of  sweetness  —  you  were 
right  about  her  looking  like  an  angel — and  I 
think  she  has  got  an  angel's  nature  more  or 
less ;  and  when  people  are  really  like  that  there 
is  some  one  up  above  looks  after  them,  and  I 
don't  think  we  need  worry  much — you  and  I." 

"Dear  old  Crow!"  said  Anne;  "you  do  com- 
fort me.  But  all  the  same,  angel  or  not,  Hec- 
tor is  so  attractive — and  he  is  a  man,  you 
know,    not    one    of    these    anaemic,    artistic, 

238 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


aesthetic  things  we  see  about  so  often  now ;  and 
thrown  together  like  that — how  on  earth  will 
they  be  able  to  help  themselves?" 

The  Crow  was  silent. 

"You  see,"  she  continued,  "beyond  Morella, 
who  is  too  absolutely  unalluring  and  respect- 
able to  come  to  harm  anywhere,  and  Miss  Lin- 
wood,  who  only  cares  for  bridge,  there  will 
hardly  be  another  woman  in  the  house  who 
has  not  got  a  lover,  and  the  atmosphere  of 
those  things  is  catching — don't  you  think  so?" 

"It  is  nature,"  said  Colonel  Lowerby.  "A 
woman  in  possession  of  her  health  and  faculties 
requires  a  mate,  and  when  her  husband  is  at- 
tending to  sport  or  some  other  man's  wife,  she 
is  bound  to  find  one  somewhere.  I  don't 
blame  the  poor  things." 

"Oh,  nor  I!"  said  Anne.  "I  don't  ever 
blame  any  one.  And  just  one,  because  you 
love  him,  seems  all  right,  perhaps.  It  is  six 
different  ones  in  a  year,  and  a  seventh  to  pay 
the  bills,  that  I  find  vulgar." 

"Dans  les  premieres  passions,  les  femmes 
aiment  I'amant ;  et  dans  les  autres,  elles  aiment 
I'amour,"  quoted  the  Crow.  "It  was  ever  the 
same,  you  see.  It  is  the  seventh  to  pay  the 
bills  that  seems  vulgar  and  modern." 

"Billy  and  I  stayed  there  for  the  pheasant 
239 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


shoot  last  November,  and  I  assure  you  we  felt 
quite  out  of  it,  having  no  little  adventures  at 
night  like  the  rest.  Lady  Ada  is  the  picture  of 
washed-out  respectability  herself,  and  so — to 
give  her  some  reflected  color,  I  suppose — she 
asks  always  the  most  go-ahead,  advanced  sec- 
tion of  her  acquaintances." 

"Well,  I  shall  be  there  this  time,"  said  the 
Crow;  "she  invited  me  last  week." 

This  piece  of  news  comforted  Lady  Anning- 
ford  greatly.  She  felt  here  would  be  some  one 
to  help  matters  if  he  could. 

"Morella  will  be  perfectly  furious  when  she 
gets  there  and  finds  she  was  not  the  reason  of 
Hector's  empressement  for  the  invitation.  And 
in  her  stolid  way  she  can  be  just  as  spiteful  as 
Lady  Harrowfield." 

"Yes,  I  know." 

Then  they  were  both  silent  for  a  while — 
Anne's  thoughts  busy  with  the  mournful  idea 
of  the  end  of  the  House  of  Bracondale  should 
Hector  never  marry,  and  the  Crow's  of  her  in 
sympathy,  his  eyes  watching  her  face. 

At  last  she  spoke. 

"  I  believe  it  would  be  best  for  Hector  to  go 
right  away  for  a  3^ear  or  so,"  she  sighed. 
"But,  however  it  may  be,  I  fear,  alas!  it  can 
only  end  in  tears." 

240 


XXIII 

Beechleigh  was  really  a  fine  place,  built  by 
Vanbrugh  in  his  best  days. 

Three  tiers  of  fifteen  tall  windows  looked  to 
the  north  in  a  front  and  two  short  wings,  while 
colonnades  led  down  to  splendid  wrought-iron 
gates,  and  blocks  of  buildings  constructed  in 
the  same  stately  st^de.  Fifteen  more  windows 
faced  the  south ;  and  the  centre  one  of  the  first 
floor  led,  with  sweeping  steps,  to  a  terrace, 
while  seven  casements  adorned  each  of  the 
eastern  and  western  sides. 

On  the  southern  side  the  view,  for  that 
rather  flat  country,  was  superb. 

It  gave,  from  a  considerable  elevation — 
through  a  wide  opening  of  giant  oaks  and  elms 
— a  peep  of  the  lake  a  mile  below,  and  on  in  a 
long  avenue  of  turf  to  a  vista  of  smiling  country. 

On  the  splendid  terrace  peacocks  spread 
their  tails,  and  vases  of  carved  stone  broke  at 
intervals  the  gray  old  balustrade. 

Inside  the  house  was  equally  nobly  planned : 
all  the  rooms  of  great  height  and  perfect  pro- 
241 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


portion,  and  filled  with  pictures  and  tapestries 
and  bronzes  and  antiques  of  immense  value. 

It  had  come  to  these  spendthrift  Irish  Fitz- 
geralds  through  their  grandmother,  the  last  of 
an  old  ducal  race.  And  two  generations  of 
Hibernian  influence  had  curtailed  the  fine  fort- 
une which  went  with  it,  until  Sir  Patrick  often 
felt  it  no  easy  matter  to  make  both  ends  meet 
in  the  luxurious  and  gilded  fashion  which  was 
necessary  to  himself  and  his  friends. 

If  he  and  Lady  Ada  pinched  and  scraped 
when  alone,  keeping  few  servants  on  board 
wages,  the  parties,  at  all  events,  were  done 
with  all  their  wonted  regal  splendor. 

"  I  shall  stay  with  you,  Patrick,  as  long  as 
you  can  afford  this  cook,"  Lady  Harrowfield 
said  once  to  him;  "but  when  you  begin  to 
economize,  don't  trouble  to  ask  me.  I  hate 
poor  people,  when  it  shows." 

A  promising  son,  on  the  true  Fitzgerald  lines, 
was  at  Oxford  now,  and  gave  many  anxious 
crows'-feet  full  opportunity  of  developing  round 
his  mother's  faded  eyes. 

A  plain  daughter,  Barbara,  was  pushed  into 
corners  and  left  much  to  herself.  And  a  brill- 
iant, flashing,  up-to-date  niece  of  Lady  Ada's 
took  always  the  first  place. 

Mildred  was  so  clever,  and  her  lovers  were  so 
242 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


well  chosen,  and  so  thoroughly  of  the  right  set 
or  of  great  wealth ;  while  a  puny  husband  was 
helped  to  something  in  South  Africa,  when  the 
man  in  possession  was  a  Jew — or  as  agent  for 
tea  and  jam  in  the  colonies — when  he  happened 
to  be  only  a  colossally  successful  Englishman. 
And  once,  during  a  prominent  politician's 
reign,  poor  Willie  Verner  enjoyed  a  few  months 
in  his  own  land  as  secretary  to  a  newly  started 
Radical  club. 

This  Whitsuntide  party  was  perhaps  the 
smartest  of  the  year. 

By  Saturday  evening  over  thirty  people  would 
be  gathered  together  under  the  Beechleigh  roof, 

Josiah,  though  exceedingly  proud  and  pleased 
at  the  invitation,  felt  nervous  at  the  thought  of 
the  visit.  Not  so  Mr.  Toplington,  who,  although 
he  knew  he  should  probably  have  to  blush  for 
his  master,  and  might  get  a  very  secondary  place 
in  the  "room,"  still  felt  he  would  hold  his  own 
when  he  could  let  it  be  known  what  magnificent 
wages  he  received  from  Mr.  Brown. 

"A  long  sight  miore  than  I'd  get  out  of  any 
lord,"  he  thought.  "And  money  is  money. 
And  all  classes  feels  it." 

Theodora,  on  the  contrary,  was  neither 
proud  nor  pleased.  She  looked  forward  to  the 
visit  with  excitement  and  dread. 

243 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Hector  would  be  there,  among  all  these 
people  whom  she  did  not  know.  And  her 
awakened  heart  had  begun  to  tell  her  that 
she  loved  him  wildly,  and  to  see  him  could 
only  be  alternate  mad  joy  and  remorse  and 
anguish. 

It  was  still  drizzling  on  the  Saturday  after- 
noon when  they  arrived.  So  tea  awaited  them 
in  the  great  saloon  which  made  the  centre  of 
the  north  side  of  the  house.  Several  of  the 
rest  of  the  guests  had  come  down  in  the  same 
train,  but  they  did  not  know  them,  nor  did  any 
of  them  trouble  themselves  much  to  speak  to 
them  on  the  short  drive  from  the  station.  A 
few  words,  that  was  all,  addressed  to  Theo- 
dora.    Josiah  was  ignored. 

Sir  Patrick  had  always  been  an  excellent 
host.  His  genial  Irish  smile,  when  in  action, 
concealed  the  ill-tempered  lines  of  his  thin  old 
face.  He  greeted  his  guests  cordially,  and 
made  them  welcome  to  his  home. 

Lady  Ada  had  the  inherited  bad  manners  of 
her  family,  the  De  Baronsvilles,  who  had  come 
over  with  the  Conqueror,  and  when  one  has  a 
cachet  like  that  there  is  no  need  to  trouble  one's 
self  further.  Thus,  while  Mildred  flashed  brill- 
iant witticisms  about,  plain  Barbara  saw  after 
the  guests'  tea  and  sugar,   and  if  they  took 

244 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


cream  or  lemon,  and  tiresome  things  like  that. 
And  as  every  one  knew  every  one  else,  and  the 
same  party  met  contmuously  all  over  England, 
things  were  very  gay  and  friendly. 

Only  Theodora  and  Josiah  were  completely 
out  of  it  all,  and  several  of  the  guests,  who 
resented  the  intrusion  of  these  strangers  into 
their  charmed  circle,  would  take  care  on  every 
opporttmity  to  make  them  feel  it. 

Hector  did  not  get  there  until  half  an  hour 
later,  in  his  automobile,  which  was  the  mode 
of  arrival  with  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
company. 

And  until  the  dressing-gong  sounded,  a  con- 
tinuous teuf-teuf-teuf  might  have  been  heard 
as,  one  after  another,  the  cars  whizzed  up  to 
the  door. 

Of  course,  in  a  troop  of  over  thirty  people, 
naturally  some  had  kind  hearts  and  good  man- 
ners, but  the  prevailing  tone  of  tliis  coterie  of 
creme  de  la  crcnie  was  one  of  pure  selfishness  and 
blunt  and  material  brutality. 

If  you  were  rich  and  suited  them,  you  were 
given  a  nickname  probably,  and  were  allowed 
to  play  cards  with  them,  and  lose  your  money 
for  their  benefit.  If  you  were  non- congenial 
you  did  not  exist — that  was  all.  You  might  be 
sitting  in  a  chair,  but  they  only  saw  it  and  an 
245 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


empty  space — you  did  not  even  ctimber  their 
ground. 

To  do  them  justice,  they  preferred  people  of 
their  own  exalted  station;  outsiders  seldom 
made  their  sKRy  into  this  holy  of  holies,  how- 
ever rich  they  were — unless,  of  course,  they 
happened  to  be  Mildred's  lovers.  That  situa- 
tion for  a  man  held  special  prerogatives,  and 
was  greatly  coveted  by  pretenders  to  this  circle 
of  grace. 

Intellectual  intelligence  was  not  important. 
Some  of  the  women  of  this  select  company  had 
been  described  by  an  agricultural  duke  who 
had  stayed  there  as  having  just  enough  sense 
to  come  in  out  of  the  rain. 

Sir  Patrick  Fitzgerald  occasionally  departed 
from  the  strict  limits  of  this  set  in  the  big 
parties — especially  lately,  when  money  was  be- 
coming scarcer,  several  financial  friends  who 
could  put  him  on  to  good  things  had  been  in- 
cluded, the  result  being  that  Lady  Harrowfield 
had  not  always  shed  the  light  of  her  coun- 
tenance upon  the  festivities. 

Lord  Harrowfield  drew  most  of  his  income 
from  a  great,  populous  manufacturing  city  in 
the  north,  so  neither  he  nor  his  countess  had 
need  to  smile  at  mere  wealth. 

And   Lady   Harrowfield   had   said,   frankly, 
246 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"  Let  me  know  if  it  is  a  utility  party,  Patrick, 
or  for  just  ourselves,  because  if  you  are  going 
to  have  these  creatures  I  sha'n't  come." 

This  time,  however,  she  had  not  been  so 
exigent.  It  happened  to  suit  some  other  ar- 
rangements of  hers  to  spend  Whitsimtide  at 
Beechleigh,  so  she  consented  to  chaperon  Mo- 
rella  Winmarleigh  without  asking  for  a  list  of 
the  guests. 

Hector  had  never  conformed  to  any  special 
set;  he  went  here,  there,  and  everywhere,  and 
was  welcomed  by  all.  But  somehow,  until 
this  occasion,  Beechleigh  had  never  seen  him 
within  its  gates,  although  Lady  Harrowfield 
had  praised  him,  and  Mildred  had  sighed  for 
him  in  vain. 

He  saw  the  situation  at  a  glance  when  he 
came  into  the  saloon:  Josiah  and  Theodora 
sitting  together,  neglected  by  every  one  but 
Barbara.  They  could  not  have  been  more  than 
half  an  hour  in  the  house,  he  knew,  for  he  had 
found  out  when  the  trains  got  in. 

Barbara  was  a  good  sort;  he  remembered 
now  he  had  met  her  before  somewhere.  She 
had  evidently  taken  to  the  new  cousin;  but 
Mildred  had  not. 

Hitherto  Mildred  had  been  the  undisputed 
and  acknowledged  beauty  of  every  party,  and 

247 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


she  resented  Theodora's  presence  because  she 
was  clever  enough  not  to  have  any  illusions 
upon  the  matter  of  their  mutual  looks.  She 
saw  Theodora  was  beautiful  and  yotmg  and 
charming,  and  had  every  advantage  of  perfect 
Paris  clothes.  Uncle  Patrick  had  been  a  fool 
to  ask  her,  and  she  must  take  measures  to  sup- 
press her  at  once. 

Sir  Patrick,  on  the  other  hand,  was  very 
pleased  with  himself  for  having  given  the  in- 
vitation. He  had  made  inquiries,  and  found 
that  Josiah  was  a  man  of  great  and  solid 
wealth,  with  interests  in  several  things  which 
could  be  of  particular  use  to  himself,  and  he 
meant  to  obtain  what  he  could  out  of  him. 

As  for  Theodora,  no  living  man  could  do 
anything  but  admire  her,  and  Sir  Patrick  was 
not  an  Irishman  for  nothing. 

Hector  behaved  with  tact;  he  did  not  at 
once  fly  to  his  darling,  but  presently  she  found 
him  beside  her.  And  the  now  habitual  thrill 
ran  over  her  when  he  came  near. 

He  saw  the  sudden,  convulsive  clasp  of  her 
little  hands  together;  he  knew  how  he  moved 
her,  and  it  gave  him  joy. 

The  next  batch  of  arrivals  contained  Lord 
Wensleydown,  who  showed  no  hesitation  as 
to  his  desired  destination  in  the  saloon.     He 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


made  a  bee-line  for  Theodora,  and  took  a  low 
seat  at  her  feet. 

Hector,  with  more  caution,  was  rather  to 
one  side.  Rage  surged  up  in  liim,  although  his 
common-sense  told  him  as  yet  there  was  noth- 
ing he  could  openly  object  to  in  Wensleydown's 
behavior. 

The  little  picture  of  these  five  people — Bar- 
bara engaging  Josiah,  and  the  two  men  vying 
with  each  other  to  please  Theodora — ^was  gall 
and  wormwood  to  Mildred.  Freddy  Wensley- 
down  had  always  been  one  of  her  most  valued 
friends,  and  for  Hector  she  had  often  felt  she 
could  experience  a  passion. 

Lord  Wensleydown  had  an  immense  cachet. 
He  was  exceedingly  ugly  and  exceedingly 
smart,  and  was  known  to  have  quite  specially 
attractive  methods  of  his  own  in  the  art  of 
pleasing  beautiful  ladies.  He  was  always  un- 
faithful, too,  and  they  had  to  make  particular 
efforts  to  retain  him  for  even  a  week. 

Hector  knew  him  intimately,  of  course ;  they 
had  been  in  the  same  house  at  Eton,  and  were 
comrades  of  many  years'  standing,  and  until 
Theodora's  entrance  upon  the  scene.  Hector 
had  always  thought  of  him  as  a  coarse,  jolly 
beast  of  extremely  good  company  and  quaint- 
ness.  But  nowl  He  had  no  words  adequate 
249 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


in  his  vocabulary  to  express  his  opinion  about 
him! 

To  Theodora  he  appeared  an  ugly  little  man, 
who  reminded  her  of  the  statue  of  a  satyr  she 
knew  in  the  Louvre.     That  was  all! 

At  this  juncture  Lady  Harrowfield,  accom- 
panied by  Morella  Winmarleigh,  her  lord,  and 
one  of  her  dmes  damnees,  a  certain  Captain 
Forester,  appeared  upon  the  scene. 

Their  entrance  was  the  important  one  of  the 
afternoon,  and  Lady  Ada  and  Sir  Patrick  could 
not  do  enough  to  greet  and  make  them  wel- 
come. 

The  saloon  was  so  large  and  the  screens  so 
well  arranged,  that  for  the  first  few  seconds 
neither  of  the  ladies  perceived  the  fact  of 
Theodora's  presence.  But  when  it  burst  upon 
them,  both  experienced  unpleasant  sensations. 

Lady  Harrowfield 's  temper  was  bad  in  any 
case  on  account  of  the  weather,  and  here,  on 
her  arrival,  that  she  should  find  the  imperti- 
nent upstart  who  had  made  her  look  foolish  at 
the  Anningford  luncheon,  was  an  extra  straw. 

Morella  felt  furious.  It  began  to  dawn  upon 
her  this  might  be  Hector's  reason  in  coming, 
not  herself  at  all ;  and  one  of  those  slow,  in- 
ternal rages  which  she  seldom  indulged  in  be- 
gan to  creep  in  her  veins. 
250 


Beyond  the  Rocks 

Thus  it  was  that  poor  Theodora,  ell  uncon- 
scious of  any  evil,  was  already  surrounded  by 
three  bitter  enemies — Mildred,  Lady  Harrow- 
field,  and  Morella  Winmarleigh.  It  did  not 
look  as  though  her  Whitsuntide  could  be  going 
to  contain  much  joy. 

It  was  a  good  deal  after  six  o'clock  by  n6w. 
Bridge- tables  had  already  appeared,  and  most 
of  the  company  had  commenced  to  play. 
Barbara  saw  the  look  in  Mildred's  eye  as  she 
came  across,  and,  ignoring  Theodora  quite, 
tried  to  carry  off  Lord  Wensleydown. 

"You  must  come,  Freddy,"  she  said.  "  Lady 
Harrowfield  wants  to  begin  her  rubber." 

Barbara,  knowing  what  this  move  meant, 
and  blushing  for  her  cousin's  rudeness,  ner- 
vously introduced  Theodora  to  her. 

"How  d'  do,"  said  Mildred,  staring  over 
her  head.  "  Don't  detain  Lord  Wensleydown, 
please,  because  Lady  Harrowfield  hates  to  be 
kept  waiting." 

Theodora  rose  and  smiled,  while  she  said  to 
Barbara:  "I  am  rather  tired.  Mayn't  I  go  to 
my  room  for  a  little  rest  before  dinner?" 

"Take  him,  Lady  Mildred,  do,"  said  Hector; 

"we  don't  want  him,"  and  he  laughed  gayly. 

His  beautiful,  tender  angel  might  be  a  match 

for  these  people  after  all.     At  any  rate,   he 

251 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


would  be  at  her  side  to  protect  her  from  their 
claws. 

Lord  Wensleydown  frowned.  Mildred  was 
being  a  damned  nuisance,  he  said  to  himself, 
and  he  insisted  upon  accompanying  Theodora 
to  the  bottom  of  the  great  staircase,  which  rose 
to  magnificent  galleries  in  the  hall  adjoining 
the  saloon. 

Sir  Patrick  had  advanced  and  engaged  Josiah 
in  conversation. 

He  knew  his  guests'  ways  and  how  they 
would  boycott  him,  and,  with  a  serious  ques- 
tion like  those  Australian  shares  on  the  tapis, 
he  was  not  going  to  have  Josiah  insalted  and 
ruffled  just  yet. 

"Don't  stay  up-stairs  all  the  time,"  Hector 
had  managed  to  whisper,  while  Mildred  and 
Lord  Wensleydov/n  stood  arguing;  "they  are 
sure  not  to  dine  till  nine;  there  are  two  hours 
before  you  need  dress,  and  we  can  certainly 
find  some  nice  sitting-room  to  talk  in." 

But  Theodora,  with  immense  self-denial,  had 
answered:  " No,  I  want  to  w^ite  a  long  letter  to 
papa  and  my  sisters.  I  won't  come  down 
again  until  dinner." 

AajLd  he  was  forced  to  be  content  with  the 
mxcmory  of  her  soft  smile  and  the  evident  re- 
gret in  her  eyes. 

252 


XXIV 

Theodora  was  greatly  interested  in  Beech- 
leigh.  To  her  the  home  of  her  fathers  was  full 
of  sentiment,  and  the  thought  that  her  grand- 
father had  ruled  there  pleased  her.  How  she 
would  love  and  cherish  it  were  it  her  home  now ! 
Every  one  of  these  fine  things  must  have  some 
memory. 

Then  the  pictures  of  as  far  back  as  she  could 
remember  came  to  her,  and  she  saw  again  their 
poor  lodgings  in  the  cheap  foreign  towns  and 
their  often  scanty  fare.  And  with  a  fresh 
burst  of  love  and  pride  in  him,  she  remembered 
her  father's  invariable  cheerfulness —cheerful- 
ness and  gayety — in  such  poverty!  And  after 
he  had  been  used  to— this!  For  all  the  de- 
scriptions of  Captain  Fitzgerald  had  given  her 
no  idea  of  the  reality. 

Now  she  knew  what  love  meant,  and  could 
realize  her  mother's  story.  Oh,  she  would 
have  acted  just  in  the  same  way,  too. 

Dominic  had  been  forgiven  by  his  brother 
after  his  first  wife's  death,  and  had  come  back 
17  253 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


to  enjoy  a  short  spell  of  peace  and  prosperity. 
And  who  could  wonder  that  Lady  Minnie  Bor- 
ringdon,  in  her  first  season,  and  full  of  romance, 
should  fall  headlong  in  love  with  his  wonder- 
fully handsome  face,  and  be  only  too  ready  to 
run  off  with  him  from  an  angry  and  unreason- 
able parent!  She  was  a  spoiled  and  only  child 
who  had  never  been  crossed.  Then  came  that 
fatal  Derby,  and  the  final  extinction  of  all  sym- 
pathy with  the  scapegrace.  The  Fitzgeralds 
had  done  enough  for  him  already,  and  Lord 
Borringdon  had  no  intention  of  doing  anything 
at  all,  so  the  married  lovers  crept  away  in  high 
disgrace,  and  spent  a  few  months  of  bliss  in  a 
southern  town,  where  the  sun  shone  and  the 
food  was  cheap,  and  there  poor,  pretty  Minnie 
died,  leaving  Theodora  a  few  hours  old. 

And  now  at  Beechleigh  Theodora  looked  out 
of  her  window  on  the  north  side — the  southern 
rooms  were  kept  for  greater  than  she — and 
from  there  she  could  see  a  vast  stretch  of  park, 
with  the  deer  cropping  the  fine  turf,  and  the 
lions  frowning  while  they  supported  the  ducal 
coronet  over  the  great  gates  at  the  end  of  the 
court-yard  and  colonnade. 

It  was  truly  a  splendid  inheritance,  and  she 
f^lowed  with  pride  to  think  slie  was  of  this 
house, 

254 


Beyond  the  Rocks 

So  she  wrote  a  long  letter  to  her  clear  ones — 
her  sisters  at  Dieppe,  and  papa,  still  in  Paris, 
and  even  one  to  Mrs.  McBride.  And  then  she 
read  until  her  maid  came  to  dress  her  for  dinner. 

Her  room  was  a  large  one,  and  numberless 
modern  touches  of  comfort  brought  up-to-date 
the  early  Georgian  furniture  and  the  shabby 
silk  hangings.  A  room  stamped  with  that  some- 
thing vv'hich  the  most  luxurious  apartments  of 
the  wealthiest  millionaire  can  never  acquire. 

Josiah  looked  in  upon  her  as  she  finished 
dressing.  He  was,  he  said,  most  pleased  with 
everything,  and  if  they  were  a  little  unused  to 
such  company,  still  nothing  could  be  more  cor- 
dial than  Sir  Patrick's  treatment  of  him. 

Meanwhile,  on  their  way  up  to  dress,  Mildred 
had  gone  in  to  Morella's  room,  and  the  two  had 
agreed  that  Mrs.  Brown  should  be  suppressed. 

It  was  with  extra  displeasure  Miss  Winmar- 
leigh  had  learned  of  Theodora's  relationship  to 
Sir  Patrick,  and  that  after  all  she  could  not  be 
called  a  common  colonial. 

There  was  no  question  about  the  Fitzgerald 
and  Borringdon  families,  unfortunately,  while 
Morella's  grandfather  had  been  merely  a  coal 
merchant. 

"  I  don't  think  she  is  so  wonderfully  pretty, 
do  you,  Mildred?"  she  said. 

2SS 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


But  Mildred  was  a  clever  woman,  and  couLI 
see  with  her  eyes. 

"Yes,  I  do,"  she  answered.  "Don't  be  such 
a  fool  as  to  delude  yourself  about  that,  Morella. 
She  is  perfectly  lovely,  and  she  has  the  most 
deevie  Paris  clothes,  and  Lord  Bracondale  is 
wildly  in  love  with  her." 

"  And  apparently  Freddy  Wensleydown,  too," 
snapped  Morella,  who  was  now  boiling  with 
rage. 

"Well,  she  is  not  likely  to  enjoy  herself 
here,"  said  Mildred,  with  her  vicious  laugh, 
which  showed  all  her  splendid,  sharp  teeth,  as 
she  went  off  to  dress,  her  head  full  of  plans  for 
the  interloper's  suppression. 

First  she  must  have  a  few  words  with  Bar- 
bara. There  must  be  none  of  her  partisanship. 
Poor,  timid  Barbara  would  not  dare  to  disobey 
her,  she  knew.  That  settled,  she  did  not  fear 
that  she  would  be  able  to  make  Theodora  suffer 
considerably  during  the  five  days  she  would  be 
at  Beechleigh. 

Sir  Patrick  was  busy  with  some  new  arrivals 
who  had  come  while  they  were  dressing,  so  not 
a  soul  spoke  to  Theodora  or  Josiah  when  they 
got  down  to  the  great,  white  drawing-room, 
from  which  immensely  high  mahogany  doors 
opened  into  an  anteroom  hung  with  priceless 

256 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


tapestry  and  containing  cabinets  of  rare  china 
From  thence  another  set  of  splendid  carved 
doors  gave  access  to  the  dining-room. 

Neither  Lord  Wensleydown  or  Hector  was  in 
the  room  at  first,  so  there  was  no  man  even  to 
talk  to  them.  Lady  Ada  had  not  introduced 
them  to  any  one.  And  there  they  stood: 
Josiah  ill  at  ease  and  uncomfortable,  and 
Theodora  quite  apparently  unconscious  of 
neglect,  while  she  looked  at  a  picture. 

All  the  younger  women  were  thinking  to 
themselves:  "Who  are  these  people?  We 
don't  want  any  strangers  here — poaching  on 
our  preserves.  And  what  perfect  clothes!  and 
what  pearls!  Why  on  earth  did  Ada  ask 
them?" 

And  soon  the  party  was  complete,  and  Theo- 
dora found  herself  going  in  to  dinner  with  her 
cousin  Pat,  who  arrived  upon  the  scene  at  the 
very  last  minute,  having  come  from  Oxford  by 
a  late  train. 

Mildred  had  taken  care  that  neither  Lord 
Wensleydown  or  Hector  should  be  anywhere 
near  Theodora.  She  had  secured  Lord  Bracon- 
dale  for  herself,  and  did  her  best  all  through 
the  repast  to  fascinate  him. 

And  while  he  answered  gallantly  and  paid 
her  the  grossest  compliments,  she  knew  he  was 

257 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


laughing  in  his  sleeve  all  the  time,  and  it  made 
her  venom  rise  higher  and  higher. 

Patrick  Fitzgerald,  the  younger,  was  a  dis- 
sipated, vicious  youth,  with  his  mother's  faded 
coloring  and  none  of  the  Fitzgerald  charm. 
How  infinitely  her  father  surpassed  any  of  the 
family  she  had  seen  yet,  Theodora  thought. 

She  did  not  enjoy  her  dinner.  The  youth's 
conversation  was  not  interesting.  But  it  was 
not  until  the  ladies  left  the  dining-room  that 
her  real  penance  began. 

It  seemed  as  if  all  the  women  crowded  to  one 
end  of  the  drawing-room  round  Lady  Harrow- 
field,  and  talked  and  whispered  to  one  another, 
not  one  making  way  for  Theodora  or  showing 
any  knowledge  of  her  presence.  Barbara  had 
gone  off  up  to  her  room.  She  was  too  fright- 
ened of  Mildred  to  disobey  her,  and  she  felt  she 
would  rather  not  be  there  to  see  their  hateful 
ways  to  the  dear,  little,  gentle  cousin  whom  she 
thought  she  could  love  so  much. 

Theodora  subsided  on  a  sofa,  wondering  to 
herself  if  these  were  the  manners  of  the  great 
world  in  general.  She  hoped  not;  but  although 
no  human  creature  could  be  quite  happy  under 
the  circumstances,  she  was  not  greatly  dis- 
tressed until  she  distinctly  caught  the  name  of 
"Mr.    Brown"   from   the   woman  Josiah   had 

2^8 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


taken  in,  amid  a  burst  of  laughter,  and  saw 
Mildred,  with  a  glance  at  her,  ostentatiously 
suppress  the  speaker,  who  then  continued  her 
narration  in  almost  a  whisper,  amid  mocking 
titters  of  mirth. 

Then  anger  burned  in  Theodora's  gentle  soul. 
They  were  talking  about  Josiah,  of  course,  and 
turning  him  into  ridicule. 

She  wondered  what  would  be  the  best  to  do. 
She  was  too  far  away  to  attempt  to  join  in  the 
conversation,  or  to  be  even  able  to  swear  she 
had  heard  aright,  although  there  was  no  doubt 
in  her  own  mind  about  it. 

So  she  sat  perfectly  still  on  her  great  sofa, 
her  hands  folded  in  her  lap,  while  two  bright 
spots  of  wild  rose  flushed  her  cheeks. 

She  did  not  even  pick  up  a  book.  There  she 
sat  like  an  alabaster  statue,  and  most  of  the 
women  were  conscious  of  the  exquisitely  beau- 
tiful picture  she  made. 

They  could  not  stand  in  this  packed  group 
all  the  time,  the  whole  dozen  or  more  of  them, 
and  they  gradually  broke  up  into  twos  and 
threes  about  the  large  room. 

They  were  delightfully  friendly  with  one 
another,  and  all  seemed  in  the  best  of  spirits 
and  tempers. 

Most  of  them  had  no  ulterior  motive  in  their 
259 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


behavior  to  Theodora ;  it  was  merely  the  feeling 
that  they  were  not  the  hostess  and  responsible. 
It  was  none  of  their  business  if  Ada  neglected 
her  guests,  and  they  all  knew  plenty  of  people 
and  did  not  care  to  enlarge  their  acquaintance 
gratuitously. 

So  when  they  came  in  from  the  dining-room 
more  than  one  of  the  men  understood  the  pict- 
ure they  saw,  of  the  beautiful,  little,  strange 
lady  seated  alone,  while  the  other  w^omen  chat- 
ted together  in  groups. 

Hector  was  feeling  irritated  and  excited, 
and  longing  to  get  near  Theodora.  He  guessed 
Lord  Wensleydown  would  have  the  same  de- 
sire, and  had  no  intention  of  being  interfered 
with.  He  felt  he  could  not  bear  to  spend  an 
evening  watching  the  little  brute  daring  to  lean 
over  her.  He  should  kill  him,  or  commit  some 
violence,  he  knew. 

Thus  prudence,  which  at  another  time  would 
have  held  him — would  have  made  him  remem- 
ber what  was  best  for  her  among  this  crowd  of 
hostile  women — flew  to  the  winds.  He  must 
go  to  her — must  show  her  he  loved  and  would 
protect  her,  and,  above  all,  that  he  would  per- 
mit no  other  man  to  usurp  his  place. 

And  Theodora,  who  had  been  suffering 
silently  a  miserable  feeling  of  loneliness  and 

260 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


neglect,  felt  her  heart  bound  with  joy  at  the 
sight  of  his  loved,  familiar  face,  and  she  wel- 
comed him  more  warmly  than  she  had  ever 
done  before. 

"  Have  these  demons  of  women  been  odious 
to  you,  darling?"  he  whispered,  hardly  con- 
scious of  the  term  of  endearment  he  had  used. 
"  Do  not  mind  them ;  it  is  only  jealousy  because 
you  are  so  beautiful  and  young." 

"They  have  not  been  anything  at  all,"  she 
said,  softly ;  "  they  have  just  left  me  alone 
and  kept  to  themselves,  and — and  laughed  at 
Josiah,  and  that  has  made  me  very  angry,  be- 
cause—what has  he  done  to  them?" 

"I  loathe  them  all!"  said  Hector.  "They 
are  hardly  fit  to  be  in  the  same  room  with  you, 
dear  queen — and  if  you  really  belonged  to  me 
I  would  take  you  away  from  them  now — to- 
night." 

His  voice  was  a  caress,  and  that  sentence, 
"belonged  to  me,"  always  made  her  heart  beat 
with  its  pictured  possibilities.  Oh,  how  she 
loved  him!  Could  anything  else  in  the  world 
really  matter  while  he  could  sit  there  and  she 
could  feel  his  presence  and  hear  his  tender 
words  ? 

And  so  they  talked  awhile,  and  then  they 
looked    up    and    surveyed    the    scene.     Josiah 
261 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


had  been  joined  by  Sir  Patrick,  and  they  were 
earnestly  conversing  by  the  fireplace.  One  or 
two  pairs  sat  about  on  the  sofas ;  but  the  gen- 
eral company  showed  signs  of  flocking  off  to 
the  bridge-tables,  which  were  laid  out  in  an- 
other drawing-room  beyond.  And  the  couples 
joined  them  gradually,  until  only  Lord  Wens- 
leydown  and  Morella  Winmarleigh  remained 
near  and  watched  them  with  mocking  eyes. 

Hector  had  never  before  realized  that  Mo- 
rella. could  have  so  much  expression  in  her 
face. 

How  could  he  ever  have  thought  under  any 
conceivable  circumstances,  even  at  the  end  of 
his  life,  it  would  be  possible  to  marry  her! 
How  thankful  he  felt  he  had  never  paid  her 
any  attention,  or  from  his  behavior  given  color 
to  his  mother's  hopes. 

He  remembered  a  fairy  story  he  had  read  in 
his  youth,  where  a  magic  power  was  given  to 
the  hero  of  discovering  what  beast  each  human 
being  was  growing  into  by  grasping  their 
hands.  And  he  wondered,  if  the  gift  had  been 
his,  what  he  should  now  find  was  the  destiny 
of  those  two  in  front  of  him! 

Wensleydown,  no  doubt,  would  be  a  great, 
sensual  goat  and  Morella  a  vicious  mule.  And 
the  idea  made  him  laugh  as  he  turned  to  Theo- 

262 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


dora  again,  to  feast  his  eyes  on  her  pure  loveli- 
ness. 

The  Crow,  who  had  arrived  late  and  been 
among  the  last  to  enter  the  drawing  -  room 
before  dinner,  had  not  yet  had  an  opportunity 
of  speaking  to  Mrs.  Brown,  as  he  had  been 
dragged  off  among  the  first  of  the  bridge- 
players. 

Presently  Mildred  looked  through  the  door 
from  the  room  beyond  and  called :  "  Freddy  and 
Morella,  come  and  play;  we  must  have  two 
more  to  make  up  the  numbers.  Uncle  Patrick 
will  bring  Lord  Bracondale  presently," 

Josiah  and  Theodora  did  not  count  at  all,  it 
seemed ! 

"What  intolerable  insolence!"  said  Hector, 
through  his  teeth.  "  I  shall  not  play  bridge  or 
stir  from  here." 

And  Lord  Wensleydown  called  back:  "Do 
give  one  a  moment  to  digest  one's  dinner,  dear 
Lad;r  Mildred.  Miss  Winmarleigh  does  not 
want  to  come  yet,  either.  AVe  are  very — in- 
terested— and  happy  here." 

Morella  tittered  and  pla^^ed  with  her  fan. 
The  dull,  slow  rage  was  simmering  within  her. 
Even  her  vanity  could  not  misinterpret  the 
meaning  of  Hector's  devotion  to  Mrs.  Brown. 
He  was   deeply  in   love,   of  course,   and    she, 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Morella,  was  robbed  of  her  hopes  of  being 
Lady  Bracondale.  Her  usually  phlegmatic 
nature  was  roused  in  all  its  narrow  strength. 
She  was  like  some  silent,  vengeful  beast  wait- 
ing a  chance  to  spring. 

And  so  the  evening  wore  away.  Sir  Patrick 
drew  Josiah  into  the  bridge -room,  and  made 
him  join  one  of  the  tables  where  they  were 
waiting  for  a  fourth — ^Josiah,  who  was  a  very 
bad  player,  and  did  not  really  care  for  cards! 
But  luck  favored  him,  and  the  woman  opposite 
restrained  the  irritable  things  she  had  ready  to 
say  to  him  when  she  first  perceived  how  he 
played  his  hand. 

And  all  the  while  Hector  sat  by  Theodora, 
and  learned  more  and  more  of  her  fair,  clear 
mind.  All  the  thoughts  she  had  upon  every 
subject  he  found  were  just  and  quaint  and  in 
some  way  illuminating.  It  was  her  natural 
sweetness  of  nature  which  made  the  great 
charm — that  quality  which  Mrs.  McBride  had 
remarked  upon,  and  which  every  one  felt 
sooner  or  later. 

Nothing  of  the  ascetic  saint  or  goody  poseuse. 
She  did  not  walk  about  with  a  book  of  poems 
under  her  arm,  and  wear  floppy  clothes  and 
talk  about  her  own  and  other  people's  souls. 
She  was  just  human  and  true  and  attractive. 

264 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Theodora  had  perhaps  no  reHgion  at  all  from 
the  orthodox  point  of  view;  but  had  she  been 
a  Mohommedan  or  a  Confucian  or  a  Buddhist, 
she  would  still  have  been  Theodora,  full  of 
gentleness  and  goodness  and  grace. 

The  entire  absence  of  vanity  and  self-con- 
sciousness in  her  prevented  her  from  feeling 
hurt  or  ruffled  even  with  these  ill-mxannered 
women.  She  thought  them  rude  and  unpleas- 
ant, but  they  could  not  really  hurt  her  except 
by  humiliating  Josiah.  Her  generosity  in- 
stantly fired  at  that. 

Both  she  and  Hector  perceived  that  Morella 
and  Lord  Wensleydown  sat  there  watching 
them  for  no  other  reason  but  to  disconcert  and 
tease  them,  and  it  roused  a  spirit  of  resistance 
in  both.  While  this  was  going  on  they  would 
not  move. 

And  Hector  employed  the  whole  of  his  self- 
control  to  keep  himself  from  making  actual 
love  to  her,  and  they  talked  of  many  things, 
and  she  understood  and  was  grateful. 

Presently,  apparently,  Morella  could  stand  it 
no  longer,  for  she  rose  rather  abruptly  and  said 
to  Lord  Wensleydown: 

"Come,  let  us  play  bridge." 

They  went  on  into  the  other  room,  and  Theo- 
dora and  Lord  Bracondale  were  left  quite  alone. 

265 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"I  should  like  to  find  Josiah,"  said  Theo- 
dora.    "Shall  we  not  go,  too?" 

And  they  also  followed  upon  the  others' 
heels.  Lady  Ada  happened  to  be  out  at  her 
table,  and  some  tardy  sense  of  her  duties  as  a 
hostess  came  to  her,  for  she  crossed  over  to 
where  Theodora  stood  by  the  door  and  made 
some  ordinary  remark  about  hoping  it  would 
be  fine  on  the  morrow  so  they  could  enjoy  the 
gardens. 

And  while  she  talked  and  looked  into  the 
blue  eyes  something  attracted  and  softened 
her.  She  was  very  gentle  and  pretty,  after  all, 
the  new  niece,  she  decided,  and  Mildred  had 
been  quite  wrong  in  saying  she  was  an  upstart 
and  must  be  snubbed. 

Lady  Ada  had  a  nervous  way  of  blinking  her 
light  lashes  in  a  fashion  which  suggested  she 
might  suffer  from  headache. 

To  Theodora  she  seemed  a  sad  woman,  full 
of  cares,  and  she  felt  a  kindly  pity  for  her  and 
no  resentment  for  her  rudeness. 

Mildred  looked  up,  and  a  frown  of  annoy- 
ance darkened  her  face. 

The  "creature"  should  certainly  not  make  a 
conquest  of  her  hostess  if  she  could  help  it! 

It  was  the  first  time  Theodora  had  ever  been 
into  a  company  of  people  like  this,  and  her  eyes 

266 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


wandered  over  the  scene  when  Lady  Ada  had 
to  go  back  to  her  place. 

"Tell  me  what  you  are  thinking  of?"  said 
Hector,  in  her  ear. 

"I  was  thinking,"  she  answered,  "it  is  so  in- 
teresting to  watch  people's  faces.  It  seems  to 
me  so  queer  a  way  to  spend  one's  time,  the 
whole  of  one's  intelligence  set  upon  a  game  of 
cards  and  a  few  pieces  of  money  for  hours  and 
hours  together." 

"They  don't  look  attractive,  do  they?"  he 
laughed. 

"No,  they  look  haggard,  and  worried,  and 
old,"  she  said.  "Even  the  young  ones  look 
old  and  watchful,  and  so  intent  and  solemn." 

Lady  Harrowfield  had  been  losing  heavily, 
and  a  deep  mauve  shade  glowed  through  all 
her  paint.  She  was  a  bad  loser,  and  made  all 
at  her  table  feel  some  of  her  chagrin  and  wrath. 
In  fact,  candidates  for  the  light  of  her  smile 
found  it  advisable  to  let  her  win  when  things 
became  too  unpleasant. 

There  was  a  dreary  silence  over  the  room, 
broken  by  the  scoring  and  remarks  upon  the 
games,  and  those  who  were  out  wandered  into 
the  saloon  beyond,  where  iced  drinks  of  all 
sorts  were  awaiting  the  weary. 

"Every    one    mtist    enjoy    themselves    how 
267 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


they  can,  of  course,"  said  Theodora.  "It  is 
absurd  to  try  and  make  any  one  else  happy  in 
one's  own  Vv^ay,  but  oh,  I  hope  I  shall  not  have 
to  pass  the  time  like  that,  ever!  I  don't  think 
I  could  bear  it." 

The  voices  became  raised  at  the  table  where 
Josiah  sat.  He  had  made  some  gross  mistake 
in  the  game  and  his  partner  was  being  fretful 
over  it.  Her  complaints  amounted  to  real 
rudeness  when  the  counting  began.  She  had 
lost  twenty  pounds  on  this  rubber,  all  through 
his  last  foolish  play,  she  let  it  be  known. 

Josiah  was  angry  with  himself  and  deeply 
humiliated.  He  apologized  as  well  as  he 
could,  but  to  no  purpose  with  the  wrathful 
dame. 

And  Theodora  slipped  behind  his  chair,  and 
laid  her  hand  upon  his  shoulder  in  what  was 
almost  a  caress,  and  said,  in  a  sweet  and  playful 
voice : 

"You  are  a  naughty,  stupid  fellow,  Josiah, 
and  of  course  you  must  pay  the  losses  of  both 
sides  to  make  up  for  being  such  a  wicked 
thing,"  and  she  patted  his  shoulders  and  smiled 
her  gentle  smile  at  the  angry  lady,  as  though 
they  were  children  playing  for  counters  or 
sweets,  and  the  twenty  pounds  was  a  nothing 
to  her  husband,  as  indeed  it  was  not.     Josiah 

268 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


would  cheerfully  have  paid  a  hundred  to  finish 
the  unpleasant  scene. 

He  was  intensely  grateful  to  her  —  grateful 
for  her  thought  for  him  and  for  her  public 
caress. 

And  the  lady  was  so  surprised  at  the  turn 
affairs  had  taken  that  she  said  no  more,  and, 
allowing  him  to  pay  without  too  great  protest, 
meekly  suggested  another  rubber.  But  Josiah 
was  not  to  be  caught  again.  He  rose,  and, 
saying  good-night,  followed  his  wife  and  Lord 
Bracondale  into  the  saloon. 

i8 


XXV 

After  the  rain  and  gloom  of  the  week,  Sun- 
day dawned  gloriously  fine.  There  was  to  be 
a  polo  match  on  Monday  in  the  park,  which 
contained  an  excellent  ground — Patrick  and  his 
Oxford  friends  against  a  scratch  team.  The 
neighborhood  would  watch  them  with  interest. 
But  the  Sunday  was  for  rest  and  peace,  so 
all  the  morning  the  company  played  croquet, 
or  lay  about  in  hammocks,  and  more  than 
half  of  them  again  began  bridge  in  the  great 
Egyptian  tent  which  served  as  an  out  -  door 
lounge  on  the  lawn.  It  was  reached  from 
the  western  side  down  wide  steps  from  the 
terrace,  and  beautiful  rose  gardens  stretched 
away  beyond. 

Theodora  had  spent  a  sleepless  night.  There 
was  no  more  illusion  left  to  her  on  the  subject 
of  her  feelings.  She  knew  that  each  day,  each 
hour,  she  was  growing  more  deeply  to  love 
Hector  Bracondale.  He  absorbed  her  thoughts, 
he  dominated  her  imagination.  He  seemed  to 
mean  the  only  thing  in  life.     The  situation  was 

270 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


impossible,  and  must  end  in  some  way.     How 
could  she  face  the  long  months  with  Josiah 
down   at  their  new   home,   with   the  feverish 
hopes  and  fears  of  meetings !     It  was  too  cruel, 
too  terrible ;  and  she  could  not  lead  such  a  life. 
She  had  thought  in  Paris  it  would  be  possible, 
and  even  afford  a  certain  amount  of  quiet  hap- 
piness, if  they  could  be  strong  enough  to  re- 
main just  friends.     But  now  she  knew  this  was 
not  in   human   nature.     Sooner  or  later  fate 
would  land  them  in  some  situation  of  tempta- 
tion too  strong  for  either  to  resist — and  then — • 
and  then — ■     She  refused  to  face  that  picture. 
Only  she  writhed  as  she  lay  there  and  buried 
her  face  in  the  fine  pillows.     She  did  not  per- 
mit herself   any   day  -  dreams   of  what  might 
have  been.     Romauld  himself,  as  he  took  his 
vows,  never  fought  harder  to  regain  his  soul 
from    the    keeping    of    Claremonde    than    did 
Theodora    to    suppress    her    love    for    Hector 
Bracondale.     Towards  morning,  worn  out  with 
fatigue,  she  fell  asleep,  and  in  her  dreams,  re- 
leased from  the  control  of  her  will,  she  spent 
moments  of  passionate  bliss  in  his  arms,  only 
to  wake  and  find  she  must  face  again  the  ter- 
rible reality.     And  cruellest  thought  of  all  was 
the  thought  of  Josiah. 

She  had  so  much  common-sense  she  realized 
271 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


the  position  exactly  about  him.  She  had  not 
married  him  under  any  false  impression. 
There  had  been  no  question  of  love — she  had 
frankly  been  bought,  and  had  as  frankly  de- 
tested him.  But  his  illness  and  suffering  had 
appealed  to  her  tender  heart — and  afterwards 
his  generosity.  He  was  not  unselfish,  but,  ac- 
cording to  his  lights,  he  heaped  her  with  kind- 
ness. He  could  not  help  being  common  and 
ridiculous.  And  he  had  paid  with  solid  gold 
for  her,  gold  to  make  papa  comfortable  and 
happy,  and  she  must  fulfil  her  part  of  the  bar- 
gain and  remain  a  faithful  wife  at  all  costs. 

This  visit  must  be  the  last  time  she  should 
meet  her  love.  She  must  tell  him,  implore  him 
— he  who  was  free  and  master  of  his  life;  he 
must  go  away,  must  promise  not  to  follow  her, 
must  help  her  to  do  what  was  right  and  just. 
She  had  no  sentimental  feeling  of  personal 
wickedness  now.  How  could  it  be  wicked  to 
love — to  love  truly  and  tenderly?  She  had 
not  sought  love;  he  had  come  upon  her.  It 
would  be  wicked  to  give  way  to  her  feelings, 
to  take  Hector  for  a  lover;  but  she  had  no 
sense  of  being  a  wicked  woman  as  things  were, 
any  more  than  if  she  had  badl}^  burned  her 
hand  and  was  suffering  deeply  from  the  wound ; 
she  would  have  considered  herself  wicked  for 

272 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


having  bad  the  mischance  thus  to  injure  her- 
self. She  was  intensely  unhappy,  and  she  was 
going  to  try  and  do  what  was  right.  That  was 
all.  And  God  and  those  kind  angels  who 
steered  the  barks  beyond  the  rocks  would  per- 
haps help  her. 

Hector,  for  his  part,  had  retired  to  rest  boil- 
ing with  passion  and  rage,  the  subtle,  odious 
insinuations  of  Mildred  ringing  in  his  ears. 
The  remembrance  of  the  menace  on  Morella's 
dull  face  as  she  had  watched  Theodora  de- 
part, and,  above  all,  Wensleydown's  behavior 
as  they  all  said  good -night:  nothing  for  him 
actually  to  take  hold  of,  and  yet  enough  to 
convulse  him  with  jealous  fury. 

Oh,  if  she  were  only  his  own!  No  man 
should  dare  to  look  at  her  like  that.  But 
Josiah  had  stood  by  and  not  even  noticed 
it. 

Passionate  jealousy  is  not  a  good  foster- 
parent  for  prudence. 

The  Simday  came,  and  with  it  a  wild,  mad 
longing  to  be  near  her  again — never  to  leave 
her,  to  prevent  any  one  else  from  so  much  as 
saying  a  word.  Others  besides  Wensleydown 
had  begun  to  experience  the  attraction  of  her 
beauty  and  charm.  If  considerations  of  wis- 
dom should  keep  him  from  her  side,  he  would 
273 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


have  the  anguish  of  seeing  these  others  take 
his  place,  and  that  he  could  not  suffer. 

And  as  passion  in  a  man  rages  higher 
than  in  the  average  woman,  especially  pas- 
sion when  accelerated  by  the  knowledge  of 
another's  desire  to  rob  it  of  its  own,  so 
Hector's  conclusions  were  not  so  clear  as 
Theodora's. 

He  dared  not  look  ahead.  All  he  was  con- 
scious of  was  the  absolute  determination  to 
protect  her  from  Wensleydown — to  keep  her 
for  himself. 

And  fate  was  gathering  all  the  threads  to- 
gether for  an  inevitable  catastrophe,  or  so  it 
seemed  to  the  Crow  when  the  long,  exquisite 
June  Sunda}?"  evening  was  drawing  to  a  close 
and  he  looked  back  on  the  day. 

He  would  have  to  report  to  Anne  that  the 
two  had  spent  it  practically  together;  that 
Morella  had  a  sullen  red  look  on  her  face 
which  boded  ill  for  the  part  she  would  play, 
when  she  should  be  asked  to  play  some  part; 
that  Mildred  had  done  her  best  to  render 
Theodora  uncomfortable  and  unhappy,  and 
thus  had  thrown  her  more  into  Hector's 
protection.  The  other  women  had  been  in- 
different or  mocking  or  amused,  and  Lady 
Harrowfield    had    let    it    be    seen   she  would 

274 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


have  no  mercy.  Her  comments  had  been 
vitrioHc. 

Hector  and  Theodora  had  not  gone  out  of 
sight,  or  been  any  different  to  the  others ;  only 
he  had  never  left  her,  and  there  could  be  no 
mistaking  the  devotion  in  his  face. 

For  the  whole  day  Sir  Patrick  had  more  or 
less  taken  charge  of  Josiah.  He  was  finding 
him  more  difficult  to  manipulate  over  money 
matters  than  he  had  anticipated.  Josiah's 
vulgar,  round  face  and  snub  nose  gave  no  in- 
dex to  his  shrewdness;  with,  his  mutton-chop 
whiskers  and  bald  head,  Josiah  was  the  per- 
sonification of  the  smug  grocer. 

As  she  went  to  dress  for  dinner  it  seemed  to 
Theodora  that  her  heart  was  breaking.  She 
was  only  flesh  and  blood  after  all,  and  she,  too, 
had  felt  her  pulses  throbbing  wildly  as  they 
had  walked  along  by  the  lake,  when  all  the 
color  and  lights  of  the  evening  helped  to  ex- 
cite her  imagination  and  exalt  her  spirit. 
They  had  been  almost  alone,  for  the  other  pair 
who  composed  the  partie  carree  of  this  walk 
were  several  yards  ahead  of  them. 

Each  minute  she  had  been  on  the  verge  of 
imploring  him  to  say  good-bye — to  leave  her — 
to  let  their  lives  part,  to  try  to  forget,  and  the 
words  froze  on  her  lips  in  the  passionate,  un- 

27s 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


spoken  cry  which  seemed  to  rise  from  her 
heart  that  she  loved  him.  Oh,  she  loved  him! 
And  so  she  had  not  spoken. 

There  had  been  long  silences,  and  each  was 
growing  almost  to  know  the  other's  thoughts — 
so  near  had  they  become  in  spirit. 

When  she  got  to  her  room  her  knees  were 
trembling.  She  fell  into  a  chair  and  buried  her 
face  in  her  hands.  She  shivered  as  if  from 
cold. 

Josiah  was  almost  angry  with  her  for  being 
so  late  for  dinner.  Theodora  hardly  realized 
with  whom  she  went  in;  she  was  dazed  and 
numb.  She  got  through  it  somehow,  and  this 
night  determined  to  go  straight  to  her  room 
rather  than  be  treated  as  she  had  been  the 
night  before.  But  one  of  the  women  whom 
the  intercourse  of  the  day  had  drawn  into  con- 
versation with  her  showed  signs  of  friendliness 
as  they  went  through  the  anteroom,  and  drew 
her  towards  a  sofa  to  talk.  She  was  fascinated 
by  Theodora's  beauty  and  grace,  and  wanted 
to  know,  too,  just  where  her  clothes  came  from, 
as  she  did  not  recognize  absolutely  the  models 
of  any  of  the  well-known  couturicres,  and  they 
were  certainly  the  loveliest  garments  worn  by 
any  one  in  the  party. 

One  person  draws  another,  and  soon  Theo- 
276 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


dora  had  three  or  four  around  her — all  purring 
and  talking  frocks.  And  as  she  answered  their 
questions  with  gentle  frankness,  she  wondered 
what  everything  meant.  Did  any  of  them 
feel  —  did  any  of  them  love  passionately  as 
she  did? — or  were  they  all  dolls  more  or  less 
bored  and  getting  through  life?  And  would 
she,  too,  grow  like  them  in  time,  and  be  able 
to  play  bridge  with  interest  until  the  small 
hours  ? 

Later  some  of  the  party  danced  in  the  ball- 
room, which  was  beyond  the  saloon  the  other 
way,  and  now  a  definite  idea  came  to  Hector 
as  he  held  Theodora  in  his  arms  in  the  ^\altz. 
They  could  not  possibly  bear  this  life.  Why 
should  he  not  take  her  away — away  from  the 
smug  grocer,  and  then  they  could  live  their  life 
in  a  dream  of  bliss  in  Italy,  perhaps,  and  later 
at  Bracondale.  He  had  a  great  position,  and 
people  soon  forget  nowadays. 

His  pulses  were  bounding  with  these  wild 
thoughts,  bom  of  their  nearness  and  the  long 
hours  of  strain.  To-morrow  he  would  tell  her 
of  them,  but  to-night — they  would  dance. 

And  Theodora  felt  her  very  soul  melt  within 
her.  She  was  worn  out  with  conflicting  emo- 
tions. She  could  not  fight  with  inclination 
any    longer.     Whatever    he    should    say    she 

277 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


would  have  to  listen  to— and  agree  with.  She 
felt  almost  faint.  And  so  at  the  end  of  the 
first  dance  she  managed  to  whisjjer: 

"Hector,  I  am  tired.  I  shall  go  to  bed." 
And  in  truth  when  he  looked  at  her  she  was 
deadly  white. 

She  stopped  by  her  husband. 

"Josiah,"  she  said,  "will  you  make  my  ex- 
cuses to  Lady  Ada  and  Uncle  Patrick?  I  do 
not  feel  well;  I  am  going  to  my  room." 

Hector's  distress  was  intense.  He  could  not 
carry  her  up  in  his  arms  as  he  would  have 
wished,  he  could  not  soothe  and  pet  and  caress 
her,  or  do  anything  in  the  world  but  stand  by 
and  see  Josiah  fussing  and  accompanying  her 
to  the  stairs  and  on  to  her  room.  She  hardly 
said  the  word  good-night  to  him,  and  her  very- 
lips  were  white.  Wensleydown's  face,  as  he 
stood  with  Mildred,  drove  him  mad  with  its 
mocking  leer,  and  if  he  had  heard  their  con- 
versation there  might  have  been  bloodshed. 

Josiah  returned  to  the  saloon,  and  made  his 
way  to  the  bridge-room  to  Sir  Patrick  and  his 
hostess;  but  Hector  still  leaned  against  the 
door. 

"He'll  probably  go  out  on  the  terrace  and 
v^^alk  in  the  night  by  himself,"  thought  the 
Crow,  who  had  watched  the  scene,  "and  these 

378 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


dear  peox^le  will  say  he  has  gone  to  meet  her, 
and  it  is  a  ruse  her  being  ill.  They  could  not 
let  such  a  chance  slip,  if  they  are  both  absent 
together." 

So  he  walked  over  to  Hector  and  engaged 
him  in  conversation. 

Hector  would  have  thought  of  this  aspect 
himself  at  another  time,  but  to-night  he  was 
dazed  with  passion  and  pain. 

"Come  and  smoke  a  cigar  on  the  terrace, 
Crow,"  he  said.  "  One  wants  a  little  quiet  and 
peace  sometimes." 

And  then  the  Crow  looked  at  him  with  his 
head  on  one  side  in  that  wise  way  which  had 
earned  for  him  his  sobriquet. 

"Hector,  old  boy,  you  knovv-  these  damned 
people  here  and  their  ways.  Just  keep  your- 
self in  evidence,  my  son,"  he  said,  as  he  walked 
away. 

And  Hector  thanked  him  in  his  heart,  and 
went  across  and  asked  Morella  to  dance. 

Up  in  her  room  Theodora  lay  prostrate. 
She  could  reason  no  more — she  could  only  sob 
in  the  dark. 

Next  day  she  did  not  appear  until  luncheon- 
time.  But  the  guests  at  Beechleigh  always 
rose  when  they  pleased,  and  no  one  remarked 
her  absence  even,  each  pair  busy  with  their 

279 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


own  affairs.  Only  Barbara  crept  up)  to  her 
room  to  see  how  she  was,  and  if  she  wanted 
anything.  Theodora  wondered  why  her  cousin 
should  have  been  so  changed  from  the  after- 
noon of  their  arrival.  And  Barbara  longed  to 
tell  her.  She  moved  about,  and  looked  out  of 
the  window,  and  admired  Theodora's  beauti- 
ful hair  spread  o/er  the  pillows.  Then  she 
said : 

"Oh,  I  wish  you  came  here  often  and  Mil- 
dred didn't.  She  is  a  brute,  and  she  hates  you 
for  being  so  beautiful.  She  made  me  keep 
away,  you  know.  Do  you  think  me  a  mean 
coward?"  Her  poor,  plain,  timid  face  was 
pitiful  as  she  looked  at  Theodora,  and  to  her 
came  the  thought  of  what  Barbara's  life  was 
probably  among  them  all,  and  she  said,  gently: 

"  No,  indeed,  I  don't.  It  was  much  better 
for  you  not  to  annoy  her  further;  she  might 
have  been  nastier  to  me  than  even  she  has 
been.  But  why  don't  you  stand  up  for  your- 
self generally?  After  all,  you  are  Uncle  Pat- 
rick's daughter,  and  she  is  only  your  mother's 
niece." 

"They  both  love  her  far  more  than  they  do 
me,"  said  Barbara,  with  hanging  head. 

And  then  they  talked  of  other  things.  Bar- 
bara adored  her  home,  but  her  family  had  no 

280 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


sentiment  for  it,  she  told  Theodora;  and  Pat, 
she  believed,  would  like  to  sell  the  whole  thing 
and  gamble  away  the  money. 

Just  before  luncheon -time,  when  Theodora 
was  dressed  and  going  down,  Josiah  came  up 
again  to  see  her.  He  had  fussed  in  once  or 
twice  before  during  the  morning.  This  time 
it  was  to  tell  her  a  special  messenger  had  come 
from  his  agent  in  London  to  inform  him  his 
presence  was  absolutely  necessary  there  the 
first  thing  on  Tuesday  morning.  Some  turn 
of  deep  importance  to  his  affairs  had  transpired 
during  the  holiday.  So  he  would  go  up  by  an 
early  train.  He  had  settled  it  all  with  Sir 
Patrick,  who,  however,  would  not  hear  of 
Theodora's  leaving. 

"  The  party  does  not  break  up  until  Wednes- 
day or  Thursday,  and  we  cannot  lose  our  great- 
est ornament,"  he  had  said. 

"I  do  not  wish  to  stay  alone,"  Theodora 
pleaded.     "I  will  come  with  you,  Josiah," 

But  Josiah  was  quite  cross  with  her. 

"Nothing  of  the  kind,"  he  said.  These 
people  were  her  own  relations,  and  if  he  could 
not  leave  her  with  them  it  was  a  strange  thing! 
He  did  not  want  her  in  London,  and  she  could 
join  him  again  at  Claridge's  on  Thursday.  It 
would  give  him  time  to  run  down  to  Bessing- 
281 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ton  to  see  that  all  was  ready  for  her  reception. 
He  was  so  well  now  he  looked  forward  to  a 
summer  of  pleasure  and  peace. 

"A  second  honeymoon,  my  love!"  he 
chuckled,  as  he  kissed  her,  and  would  hear  no 
more. 

And  having  planted  this  comforting  thought 
for  her  consolation  he  had  quitted  the  room. 

Left  alone  Theodora  sank  down  on  the  sofa. 
Her  trembling  limbs  refused  to  support  her; 
she  felt  cold  and  sick  and  faint. 

A  second  honeymoon.     Oh,  God! 


XXVI 

At  luncheon,  when  Theodora  descended 
from  her  room,  the  whole  party  were  assembled 
and  already  seated  at  the  several  little  tables. 
The  only  vacant  place  left  was  just  opposite 
Hector. 

And  there  they  faced  each  other  during  the 
meal,  and  all  the  time  her  eyes  reminded  him 
of  the  wounded  fawn  again,  only  they  were 
sadder,  if  possible,  and  her  face  was  pinched 
and  pale,  not  the  exquisite  natural  white  of  its 
usual  fresh,  soft  velvet. 

Something  clutched  at  his  heart  -  strings. 
What  extra  sorrow  had  happened  to  her  since 
last  night?  What  could  he  do  to  comfort  and 
protect  her?  There  was  only  one  way — to 
take  her  with  him  out  of  it  all. 

After  the  first  nine  days'  wonder,  people 
would  forget.  It  would  be  an  undefended  suit 
when  Josiah  should  divorce  her,  and  then  he 
would  marry  her  and  have  her  for  his  very 
own.  And  what  would  they  care  for  the 
world's  sneers? 

283 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


His  whole  being  was  thrilled  and  exalted 
with  these  thoughts;  his  brain  was  excited  as 
with  strong  wine. 

To  have  her  for  his  own! 

Even  the  memory  of  his  mother  only  caused 
him  a  momentary  pang.  No  one  could  help 
loving  Theodora,  and  she — his  mother — would 
get  over  it,  too,  and  learn  her  sweetness  and 
worth. 

He  was  wildly  happy  now  that  he  had  made 
up  his  mind — so  surely  can  passionate  desire 
block  out  every  other  feeling. 

The  guests  at  their  table  were  all  more  or 
less  civil.  Theodora's  unassuming  manner  had 
disarmed  them,  and  as  savage  beasts  had  been 
charmed  of  old  by  Orpheus  and  his  lute,  so 
perhaps  her  gentle  voice  had  soothed  this  com- 
pany— the  women,  of  course;  there  had  been 
no  question  of  the  men  from  the  beginning. 

Mildred's  programme  to  make  Mrs.  Brown 
suffer  was  not  having  the  success  her  zeal  in 
promoting  it  deser\^ed. 

The  weather  was  still  glorious,  and  after 
lunch  the  whole  party  flocked  out  on  the 
terrace. 

A  terrible  nervous  fear  was  dominating  Theo- 
dora. She  could  not  be  alone  with  Hector,  she 
did  not  dare  to  trust  herself.     And  there  would 

284 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


be  the  to-morrow  and  the  Wednesday — with- 
out Josiah — and  the  soft  warmth  of  the  even- 
ings and  the  glamour  of  the  nights. 

Oh,  everything  was  too  cruel  and  impossible ! 
And  wherever  she  turned  she  seemed  to  see  in 
blazing  letters,  "A  second  honeymoon!" 

The  first  was  a  horrible,  fearsome  memory 
which  was  over  long  ago,  but  the  thought  of  a 
second — now  that  she  knew  what  love  meant, 
and  what  life  with  the  loved  one  might  mean — 
Oh,  it  was  unbearable — terrible — impossible! 
better,  much  better,  to  die  and  have  done  with 
it  all. 

She  kept  close  to  Barbara,  and  when  Bar- 
bara moved  she  feverishly  engaged  the  Crow 
in  conversation — any  one — something  to  save 
her  from  any  chance  of  listening  to  Hector's 
persuasive  words.  And  the  Crow's  kind  heart 
was  pained  by  the  hunted  expression  in  her 
eyes.  They  seemed  to  ask  for  help  and  sanct- 
uary. 

"Shall  we  walk  down  to  the  polo-field,  Mrs. 
Brown?"  he  said,  and  she  gladly  acquiesced 
and  started  with  him. 

If  she  had  been  a  practised  coquette  she 
could  not  have  done  anything  more  to  fan  the 
flame  of  Hector's  passion. 

Lady  Harrowfield  had  detained  him  on  the 

»9  285 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


top  of  the  steps,  and  he  saw  her  go  off  with  the 
Crow  and  was  unable  to  rush  after  them. 

And  when  at  last  he  was  free  he  felt  almost 
drunk  with  passion. 

He  had  learned  of  Josiah's  intended  depart- 
ure on  the  morrow,  and  that  Theodora  would 
join  him  again  on  the  Thursday,  and  his  mind 
was  made  up.  On  Wednesday  night  he  would 
take  her  away  with  him  to  Italy.  She  should 
never  belong  to  Josiah  any  more.  She  was  his 
in  soul  and  mind  already,  he  knew,  and  she 
should  be  his  in  body,  too,  and  he  would 
cherish  and  love  and  protect  her  to  the  end  of 
his  life. 

Every  detail  of  his  plan  matured  itself  in  his 
brain.  It  only  wanted  her  consent,  and  that, 
when  opportunity  should  be  given  him  to 
plead  his  cause,  he  did  not  greatly  fear  would 
be  refused. 

Hitherto  he  had  ever  restrained  himself 
when  alone  with  her,  had  dominated  his  desire 
to  make  love  to  her;  had  never  once,  since 
Paris,  given  way  to  passion  or  tender  words 
during  their  moments  together. 

But  he  remembered  that  hour  of  bliss  on  the 
way  from  Versailles;  he  remembered  how  she 
had  thrilled,  too,  how  he  had  made  her  feel 
and  respond  to  his  every  caress. 

286 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Yes — she  was  not  cold,  his  white  angel! 

He  was  playing  in  the  scratch  team  of  the 
polo  match,  and  the  wild  excitement  of  his 
thoughts,  coursing  through  his  blood,  caused 
him  to  ride  like  a  mad  thing. 

Never  had  he  done  so  brilliantly. 

And  Theodora,  while  she  was  every  now  and 
then  convulsed  with  fear  for  him,  had  moments 
of  passionate  admiration. 

The  Crow  remained  at  her  side  in  the  tent. 
He  knew  Hector  would  not  be  jealous  of  him, 
and  the  instinct  of  the  brink  of  calamity  was 
strong  upon  him,  from  the  look  in  Theodora's 
eyes. 

He  used  great  tact — he  turned  the  conversa- 
tion to  Anne  and  the  children,  and  then  to 
Lady  Bracondale  and  Hector's  home,  all  in  a 
casual,  abstract  way,  and  he  told  her  of  Lady 
Bracondale 's  great  love  for  her  son,  and  of  her 
hopes  that  he  would  marry  soon,  and  how  that 
Hector  would  be  the  last  of  his  race — ^f  or  Ever- 
mond  Le  Mesurier  did  not  count — and  many 
little  tales  about  Bracondale  and  its  people. 

It  was  all  done  so  wisely  and  well ;  not  in  the 
least  as  a  note  of  warning.  And  all  he  said 
sank  deep  into  Theodora's  heart.  She  had 
never  even  dreamed  of  the  plan  which  was  now 
matured  in  Hector's  brain  —  of  going  away 
287 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


with  him.  He,  as  really  a  lover,  was  not  for 
her,  that  was  a  foregone  conclusion.  It  was 
the  fear  of  she  knew  not  what  which  troubled 
her.  She  was  too  unsophisticated  and  inno- 
cent to  really  know — only  that  to  be  with  him 
now  was  a  continual  danger;  soon  she  knew 
she  would  not  be  able  to  control  herself,  she 
must  be  clasped  in  his  arms. 

And  then — and  then — there  was  the  picture 
in  front  of  her  of  Josiah  and  the  "second 
honeymoon." 

Thus  while  she  sat  there  gazing  at  the  man 
she  passionately  loved  playing  polo,  she  was 
silently  suffering  all  the  anguish  of  which  a 
woman's  heart  is  capable. 

The  only  possible  way  was  to  part  from 
Hector  forever — to  say  the  last  good-bye  be- 
fore she  should  go,  like  a  sheep,  to  the  slaughter. 

When  she  was  once  more  the  wife  of  Josiah 
she  could  never  look  upon  his  face  again. 

And  if  Hector  had  known  the  prospect  that 
awaited  her  at  Bessington  Hall,  it  would  have 
driven  him — already  mad— to  frenzy. 

The  day  wore  on,  and  still  Theodora's  fears 
kept  her  from  allowing  a  tete-a-tete  when  he 
dismounted  and  joined  them  for  tea. 

But  fate  had  determined  otherwise.  And 
as  the  soft  evening  came  several  of  the  party 

288 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


walked  down  by  the  river — which  ran  on  the 
western  side  below  the  rose-gardens  and  the 
wood  of  firs-  -to  see  Barbara's  many  breeds  of 
ducks  and  water-fowl. 

Then  Hector's  determination  to  be  alone 
with  her  conquered  for  the  time.  Theodora 
found  herself  strolling  with  him  in  a  path  of 
meeting  willows,  with  a  summer-house  at  the 
end,  by  the  water's  bank. 

They  were  quite  separated  from  the  others 
by  now.  They,  with  affairs  of  their  own  to 
pursue,  had  spread  in  different  directions. 

And  it  was  evening,  and  warm,  and  June. 

There  was  a  strange,  weird  silence  between 
them,  and  both  their  hearts  were  beating  to 
suffocation  —  hers  with  the  thought  of  the 
anguish  of  parting  forever,  his  with  the  exalta- 
tion of  the  picture  of  parting  no  more. 

They  came  to  the  little  simimer-house,  and 
there  they  sat  down  and  surv^eyed  the  scene. 
The  evening  lights  were  all  opalescent  on  the 
water,  there  was  peace  in  the  air  and  brilliant 
fresh  green  on  the  trees,  and  soft  and  liquid 
rose  the  nightingale's  note.  So  at  last  Hector 
broke  the  silence. 

"Darling,"  he  said,  "I  love  you  —  I  love 
you  so  utterly  this  cannot  go  on.  I  must 
have  you  for  my   own — "  and   then,  as   she 

289 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


gasped,  he  continued  in  a  torrent  of  passionate 
words. 

He  told  her  of  his  infinite  love  for  her ;  of  the 
happiness  he  would  fill  her  life  with;  of  his 
plan  that  they  shoiild  go  away  together  when 
she  shotild  leave  Beechleigh ;  of  the  joy  of  their 
days ;  of  the  tender  care  he  would  take  of  her ; 
and  every  and  each  sentence  ended  with  a  pas- 
sionate avowal  of  his  love  and  devotion. 

Then  a  terrible  temptation  seized  Theodora. 
She  had  never  even  dreamed  of  this  ending  to 
the  situation;  and  it  would  mean  no  second 
honeymoon  of  loathsome  hours,  but  a  glorious 
fulfilment  of  all  possible  joy. 

For  one  moment  the  whole  world  seemed 
golden  with  happiness ;  but  it  was  only  of  short 
duration.  The  next  instant  she  remembered 
Josiah  and  her  given  word. 

No,  happiness  was  not  for  her.  Death  and 
sleep  were  all  she  could  hope  for ;  but  she  must 
not  even  hope  for  them.  She  must  do  what 
was  right,  and  be  true  to  herself,  advienne  que 
pourra.  And  perhaps  some  angel  would  give 
her  oblivion  or  let  her  drink  of  Lethe,  though 
she  should  never  reach  those  waters  beyond 
.the  rocks. 

He  saw  the  exaltation  in  her  beautiful  face 
as  he  spoke,  and  wild  joy  seized  him.     Then  he 

290 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


saw  the  sudden  droop  of  her  whole  body  and 
the  hght  die  out  of  her  eyes,  and  in  a  voice  of 
anguish  he  implored  her: 

"Darling,  darling!  Won't  you  listen  to 
what  I  say  to  you?  Won't  you  answer  me, 
and  come  with  me?" 

**  No,  Hector,"  she  said,  and  her  voice  was  so 
low  he  had  to  bend  closer  to  hear. 

He  clasped  her  to  his  side,  he  covered  her 
face  with  kisses,  murmuring  the  tenderest  love- 
words. 

She  did  not  resist  him  or  seek  to  escape  from 
his  sheltering,  strong  arms.  This  was  the  end 
of  her  living  life,  why  should  she  rob  herself  of 
a  last  joy? 

She  laid  her  head  on  his  shoulder,  and  there 
she  whispered  in  a  voice  he  hardly  recognized, 
so  dominated  it  was  by  sorrow  and  pain:  "It 
must  be  good-bye,  beloved ;  we  must  not  meet. 
Ah!  never  any  more.  I  have  been  meaning  to 
say  this  to  you  all  the  day.  I  cannot  bear  it 
either.  Oh,  we  must  part,  and  it  must  end; 
but  oh,  not — not  in  that  way!" 

He  tried  to  persuade  her,  he  pleaded  with 
her,  drew  pictures  of  their  happiness  that 
surely  wotild  be,  talked  of  Italy  and  eternal 
summer  and  exquisite  pleasure  and  bliss. 

And  all  the  time  he  felt  her  quiver  in  his 
291 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


arms  and  respond  to  each  thought,  as  her 
imagination  took  fire  at  the  beautiful  pictures 
of  love  and  joy.  But  nothing  shook  her  de- 
termination. 

At  last  she  said :  "  Dearest,  if  I  were  different 
perhaps,  stronger  and  braver,  I  could  go  away 
and  live  with  you  like  that,  and  keep  it  all  a 
glorious  thing;  but  I  am  not — only  a  weak 
creature,  and  the  memory  of  my  broken  word, 
and  Josiah's  sorrow,  and  your  mother's  an- 
guish, would  kill  all  joy.  We  could  have  bliss- 
ful moments  of  forgetfulness,  but  the  great 
ghost  of  remorse  would  chase  for  me  all  happi- 
ness away.  Dearest,  I  love  you  so;  but  oh,  I 
could  not  live,  haunted  like  that;  I  should  just 
—die." 

Then  he  knew  all  hope  was  over,  and  the 
mad  passion  went  out  of  him,  and  his  arms 
dropped  to  his  sides  as  if  half  life  had  fled. 
She  looked  up  in  his  face  in  fear  at  its  ghastly 
whiteness. 

And  at  this  moment,  through  the  parted 
willows,  there  appeared  the  sullen,  mocking 
eyes  of  Morella  Winmarleigh. 

She  pushed  the  bushes  aside,  and,  followed 
by  Lord  Wensleydown,  she  came  towards  the 
summer-house. 

Her  slow  senses  had  taken  in  the  scene. 
292 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Hector  was  evidently  very  unhappy,  she 
thought,  and  that  hateful  woman  had  been 
teasing  him,  no  doubt. 

Thus  her  banal  mind  read  the  tragedy  of 
these  two  human  li\  (-.$ . 


XXVfl 

MoRELLA  WiNMARLEiGH  had  been  taking  an 
evening  stroll  with  Lord  Wensleydown.  They 
had  come  upon  the  two  in  the  summer-house 
quite  by  accident,  but  now  they  had  caught 
them  they  would  stick  to  them,  and  make 
their  walk  as  tiresome  as  possible,  they  both 
decided  to  themselves. 

After  very  great  emotion  such  as  Hector  and 
Theodora  had  been  experiencing,  to  have  this 
uncongenial  and  hateful  pair  as  companions 
was  impossible  to  bear. 

Neither  Hector  or  Theodora  stirred  or  made 
room  for  them  on  the  seat. 

"  Isn't  this  a  sweet  place.  Lord  Wensley- 
down?" Miss  Winmarleigh  said.  "Why  have 
you  never  brought  me  here  before?  How  did 
you  find  it,  Hector?"  turning  to  him  in  a  de- 
termined fashion.  "  You  will  have  to  show  us 
the  way  back,  as  we  are  quite  lost!"  and  she 
giggled  irritatingly. 

"  The  first  turn  to  the  right  at  the  end  of  the 
willows,"  said  Hector,  with  what  politeness  he 

294 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


could  simimon  up,  "  and  I  am  sure  you  will  be 
able  to  get  to  the  house  quite  safely.  As  you 
are  in  such  a  hurry,  don't  let  us  keep  you. 
Mrs.  Brown  and  I  are  going  the  other  way  by 
the  river,  when  we  do  start." 

"Oh,  we  are  not  in  a  hurry  at  all,"  said 
Lord  Wensleydown.  "  Do  come  with  us,  Mrs. 
Brown,  we  are  feeling  so  lonely." 

Theodora  rose.  She  could  bear  no  more  of 
this. 

"Let  us  go,"  she  said  to  Hector,  and  they 
started,  leading  the  way.  And  for  a  while  they 
heard  the  others  in  mocking  titters  behind 
them,  but  presently,  when  near  the  house,  they 
quickened  their  pace,  and  were  again  alone 
and  free  from  their  tormentors. 

They  had  not  spoken  at  all  in  this  hateful 
walk,  and  now  he  turned  to  her. 

"My  darling,"  he  said,  "life  seems  over  for 
me." 

"And  for  me,  too,  Hector,"  she  said.  "And 
when  we  come  to  this  dark  piece  of  wood  I 
want  you  to  kiss  me  once  more  and  say  good- 
bye forever,  and  go  out  of  my  life."  There 
was  a  passionate  sob  in  her  voice.  "And  oh! 
Bien-aime,  please  promise  me  you  will  leave 
to-morrow.  Do  not  make  it  more  impossible 
to  bear  than  it  already  is." 

295 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


But  he  was  silent  with  pain.  A  mad,  reck- 
less revolt  at  fate  flooded  all  his  being. 

It  was  past  eight  o'clock  now,  and  when  they 
came  to  the  soothing  gloom  of  the  dark  firs  he 
crushed  her  in  his  arms,  and  a  great  sob  broke 
from  him  and  rent  her  heart. 

"My  darling,  my  darling!  Good-bye,"  he 
said,  brokenly.  "  You  have  taught  me  all  that 
life  means;  all  that  it  can  hold  of  pleasure 
and  pain.  Henceforth,  it  is  the  gray  path  of 
shadows;  and  oh,  God  take  care  of  you  and 
grant  us  some  peace," 

But  she  was  sobbing  on  his  breast  and  cotdd 
not  speak. 

"  And  remember,"  he  w^ent  on,  "I  shall  never 
forget  you  or  cease  to  worship  and  adore  you. 
Always  know  you  have  only  to  send  me  a  mes- 
sage, a  word,  and  I  will  come  to  you  and  do 
what  you  ask,  to  my  last  drop  of  blood.  I 
love  you!  Oh,  God!  I  love  you,  and  you 
were  made  for  me,  and  we  could  have  been 
happy  together  and  glorified  the  world." 

Then  he  folded  her  again  in  his  arms  and 
held  her  so  close  it  seemed  the  breath  must 
leave  her  body,  and  then  they  walked  on 
silently,  and  silently  entered  the  house  by  the 
western  garden  door. 

The  evening  was  a  blank  to  Theodora.     She 


296 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


dressed  in  her  satins  and  laces,  and  let  her 
maid  fasten  her  wonderful  emeralds  on  throat 
and  breast  and  hair.  She  descended  to  the 
drawing-room  and  walked  in  to  dinner  with 
some  strange  man — all  as  one  in  a  dream.  She 
answered  as  an  automaton,  and  the  man 
thought  how  beautiful  she  was,  and  what  a 
pity  for  so  beautiful  a  woman  to  be  so  stupid 
and  silent  and  dull. 

"Almost  wanting,"  was  his  last  comment  to 
himself  as  the  ladies  left  the  dining-room. 

Then  Theodora  forced  herself  to  speak — to 
chatter  to  a  now  complacent  group  of  w^omen 
who  gathered  round  her.  Those  emeralds,  and 
the  way  the  diamonds  were  set  round  them, 
proved  too  strong  an  attraction  for  even  Lady 
Harrowfield  to  keep  far  away. 

She  was  going  to  have  her  rubies  remounted, 
and  this  seemed  just  the  pattern  she  would  like. 

So  the  time  passed,  and  the  men  came  into 
the  room.  But  Hector  was  not  with  them. 
He  had  foimd  a  telegram,  it  transpired,  which 
had  been  waiting  for  him  on  his  return,  and  it 
would  oblige  him  to  go  to  Bracondale  immedi- 
ately, so  he  was  motoring  up  to  London  that 
night.  He  had  acted  his  part  to  the  end,  and 
no  one  guessed  he  was  leaving  the  best  of  his 
life  behind  him.     When  Theodora  realized  he 

297 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


was  gone  she  suddenly  felt  very  faint ;  but  she, 
too,  was  not  of  common  clay,  and  breeding  will 
tell  in  crises  of  this  sort,  so  she  sat  up  and 
talked  gayly.  The  evening  passed,  and  at  last 
she  was  alone  for  the  night. 

There  are  moralists  who  will  assure  us  the 
knowledge  of  having  done  right  brings  its  own 
consolation.  And  in  good  books,  about  good 
women,  the  heroine  experiences  a  sense  of 
peace  and  satisfaction  after  having  resigned 
the  forbidden  joy  of  her  life.  But  Theodora 
was  only  a  human  being,  so  she  spent  the  night 
in  wild,  passionate  regret. 

She  had  done  right  with  no  stern  sense  of 
the  word  "Right"  written  up  in  front  of  her, 
but  because  she  was  so  true  and  so  sweet  that 
she  must  keep  her  word  and  not  betray  Josiah. 
She  did  not  analyze  anything.  Life  was  over 
for  her,  whatever  came  now  could  only  find 
her  numb.  By  an  early  train  Josiah  left  for 
London. 

"Take  care  of  yourself,  my  love,"  he  had 
said,  as  he  looked  in  at  her  door,  "  and  write  to 
me  this  afternoon  as  to  what  train  you  decide 
to  leave  by  on  Thursday." 

She  promised  she  would,  and  he  departed, 
thoroughly  satisfied  with  his  visit  among  the 
great  world. 

298 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


The  day  was  spent  as  the  other  days,  and 
after  lunch  Theodora  escaped  to  her  room.  She 
must  write  her  letter  to  Josiah  for  the  after- 
noon's post.  She  had  discovered  the  train  left 
at  eleven  o'clock.  It  did  not  take  her  long, 
this  little  note  to  her  husband,  and  then  she 
sat  and  stared  into  space  for  a  while. 

The  terrible  reaction  had  begim.  There  was 
no  more  excitement,  only  the  flatness,  the 
blank  of  the  days  to  look  forward  to,  and  that 
unspeakable  sense  of  loss  and  void.  And  oh, 
she  had  let  Hector  go  without  one  word  of  her 
passionate  love!  She  had  been  too  unnerved 
to  answer  him  when  he  had  said  his  last  good- 
bye to  her  in  the  wood. 

She  seized  the  pen  again  which  had  drop- 
ped from  her  hand.  She  would  write  to  him. 
She  would  tell  him  her  thoughts  —  in  a  final 
farewell.  It  might  comfort  him,  and  herself, 
too. 

So  she  wrote  and  wrote  on,  straight  out 
from  her  heart,  then  she  found  she  had  only 
just  time  to  take  the  letters  to  the  hall. 

She  closed  Hector's  with  a  sigh,  and  picking 
up  Josiah's,  already  fastened,  she  ran  with 
them  quickly  down  the  stairs. 

There  was  an  immense  pile  of  correspondence 
— the  accimiulation  of  Whitsuntide- 

299 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


The  box  that  usually  received  it  was  quite 
full,  and  several  letters  lay  about  on  the  table. 

She  placed  her  two  with  the  rest,  and  turned 
to  leave  the  hall.  She  could  not  face  all  the 
company  on  the  lawn  just  yet,  and  went  back 
to  her  room,  meeting  Morella  Winmarleigh 
bringing  some  of  her  own  to  be  posted  as  she 
passed  through  the  saloon. 

When  Miss  Winmarleigh  reached  the  table  cu- 
riosity seized  her.  She  guessed  what  had  been 
Theodora's  errand.  She  would  like  to  see  her 
writing  and  to  whom  the  letters  were  addressed. 

No  one  was  about  anywhere.  All  the  corre- 
spondence was  already  there,  as  in  five  minutes 
or  less  the  post  would  go. 

She  had  no  time  to  lose,  so  she  picked  up  the 
last  two  envelopes  which  lay  on  the  top  of  the 
pile  and  read  the  first: 

To 

Josiah  Brown,  Esq., 

Claridge's  Hotel, 
Brook  Street, 

London,  W. 
and  the  other: 

The  Lord  Bracondale, 

Bracondale  Chase, 

Bracondale. 
300 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"The  husband  and — the  lover!"  she  said  to 
herself.  And  a  sudden  temptation  came  over 
her,  swift  and  strong  and  not  to  be  resisted. 

Here  would  be  revenge  —  revenge  she  had 
alwa^^s  longed  for!  while  her  sullen  rage  had 
been  gathering  all  these  last  days.  She  heard 
the  groom  of  the  chambers  approaching  to  col- 
lect the  letters;  she  must  decide  at  once.  So 
she  slipped  Theodora's  tw^o  missives  into  her 
blouse  and  walked  towards  the  door. 

"There  is  another  post  which  goes  at  seven, 
isn't  there,  Edgarson?"  she  asked,  "and  the 
letters  are  delivered  in  London  to-morrow 
morning  just  the  same?" 

"Yes,  ma'am,  they  arrive  by  the  second  post 
in  London,"  said  the  man,  politely,  and  she 
passed  on  to  her  room. 

Arrived  there,  excitement  and  triumph  burn- 
ed all  over  her.  Here,  without  a  chance  of  de- 
tection, she  could  crush  her  rival  and  see  her 
thoroughly  punished,  and — who  knows? — Hec- 
tor might  yet  be  caught  in  the  rebound. 

She  would  not  hesitate  a  second.  She  rang 
for  her  maid. 

"  Bring  me  my  little  kettle  and  the  spirit- 
lamp.  I  want  to  sip  some  boiling  water,"  she 
said.  "I  have  indigestion.  And  then  3'ou 
need  not  wait — I  shall  read  until  tea." 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


'  She  was  innocently  settled  on  her  sofa  with  a 
book  when  the  maid  returned.  She  was  a  well- 
bred  servant,  and  silently  placed  the  kettle  and 
glass  and  left  the  room  noiselessly.  Morella 
sprang  to  her  feet  with  unusual  agility.  Her 
heavy  form  v^^as  slow  of  movement  as  a  rule. 

The  door  once  locked,  she  returned  to  the 
sofa  and  began  operations. 

The  kettle  soon  boiled,  and  the  steam  puffed 
out  and  achieved  its  purpose. 

The  thin,  hand -made  paper  of  the  envelope 
curled  up,  and  with  no  difficulty  she  opened 
the  flap. 

Hector's  letter  first  and  then  Josiah's.  All 
her  pent-up,  concentrated  rage  was  having  its 
outlet,  and  almost  joy  was  animating  her  being. 

Hector's  was  a  long  letter;  probably  very 
loving,  but  that  did  not  concern  her. 

It  would  be  most  unladylike  to  read  it,  she 
decided — a  sort  of  thing  only  the  housemaids 
would  do.  What  she  intended  was  to  place 
them  in  the  wrong  envelopes —  Hector's  to 
Josiah,  and  Josiah's  to  Hector.  It  was  a  mis- 
take any  one  might  make  themselves  when 
they  were  writing,  and  Theodora,  when  it 
should  be  discovered,  could  only  blame  her 
own  supposed  carelessness.  Even  if  the  letter 
was  an  innocent  one,  which  was  not  at  all 

302 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


likely.  Oh,  dear,  no!  She  knew  the  world, 
how-ever  little  girls  were  supposed  to  under- 
stand. She  had  kept  her  eyes  open,  thank 
goodness;  and  it  would  certainly  not  be  an 
epistle  a  husband  would  care  to  read — a  great 
thing  of  pages  and  pages  like  that.  But  even 
if  it  were  innocent,  it  was  bound  to  cause  some 
trouble  and  annoyance;  and  the  thought  of 
that  was  honey  and  balm  to  her. 

She  slipped  them  into  the  covers  she  had 
destined  for  them  and  pressed  down  the  damp 
gum.  So  all  was  as  it  had  been  to  outward 
appearance,  and  she  felt  perfectly  happy. 
Then  w^hen  she  descended  to  tea  she  placed 
them  securely  in  the  box  under  some  more  of 
her  own  for  the  seven-o'clock  post,  and  went 
her  way  rejoicing. 


XXVIII 

Next  morning,  over  a  rather  late  breakfast 
in  his  sitting-room  at  Claridge's,  Josiah's  second 
post  came  in. 

All  had  gone  well  with  his  business  in  the 
City  the  day  before,  and  in  the  afternoon  he 
had  run  down  to  Bessington  Hall,  returning 
late  at  night. 

He  was  feeling  unusually  well  and  self-im- 
portant, and  his  thoughts  turned  to  pleasant 
things:  To  the  delight  of  having  Theodora 
once  more  as  a  wife;  of  his  hope  of  founding  a 
family — the  Browns  of  Bessington — why  not? 
Had  not  a  boy  at  the  gate  called  him  squire? 

"Good-day  to  'e,  squire,"  he  had  said,  and 
that  was  pleasant  to  hear. 

If  only  his  tiresome  cough  would  keep  off  in 
the  autumn,  he  might  himself  shoot  the  ex- 
tensive coverts  he  had  ordered  to  be  stocked 
on  the  estate.  He  had  heard  there  were 
schools  for  would-be  sportsmen  to  learn  the 
art  of  handling  a  gun,  and  he  would  make  in- 
quiries. 

304 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


All  the  prospect  was  fair. 

He  picked  up  his  letters  and  turned  them 
over.  Nothing  of  importance.  Ah,  yes!  there 
was  Theodora's.  The  first  letter  she  had  ever 
written  him,  and  such  a  long  one!  What  could 
the  girl  have  to  say  ?  Surely  not  all  that  about 
trains!  He  opened  the  envelope  vvdth  a  knife 
which  lay  by  his  plate,  and  this  is  what  he  read 
— read  with  whitening  face  and  sinking  heart: 

"Beechleigh,  June  5th. 
"Hector,  my  beloved! — Oh,  for  this  last  time  I 
must  think  of  you  as  that!  Dearest,  we  are  parted 
now  and  may  never  meet  again,  and  the  pain  of  it 
all  kept  me  silent  yesterday,  when  my  heart  was 
breaking  with  the  anguish  and  longing  to  tell  you 
how  I  loved  you,  how  you  were  not  going  away  suf- 
fering alone.  Oh,  it  has  all  crept  upon  us,  this 
great,  great  love!  It  was  fate,  and  it  was  useless  to 
struggle  against  it.  Only  we  must  not  let  it  be  the 
reason  of  our  doing  wrong — that  would  be  to  de- 
grade it,  and  love  should  not  live  in  an  atmosphere 
of  degradation.  I  could  not  go  away  with  you, 
could  not  have  you  for  my  lover  without  breaking  a 
bargain — a  bargain  over  which  I  have  given  my  word. 
Of  course  I  did  not  know  what  love  meant  when  I 
was  married.  In  France  one  does  not  think  of  that 
as  connected  with  a  husband.  It  was  just  a  duty  to 
be  got  through  to  help  papa  and  my  sisters.  But 
my  part  of  the  bargain  was  myself,  and  in  return  for 
giving  that  I  have  money  and  a  home,  and  papa  and 
Sarah  and  Clementine  are  comfortable  and  happy. 
And  as  Josiah  has  kept  his  side  of  it,  so  I  must  keep 

3=5 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


mine,  and  be  faithful  to  him  always  in  word  and 
deed.  Dearest,  it  is  too  terrible  to  think  of  this 
material  aspect  to  a  bond  which  now  I  know  should 
only  be  one  of  love  and  faith  and  tenderness.  But 
it  is  a  bond,  and  I  have  given  my  word,  and  no 
happiness  could  come  to  us  if  I  should  break  it,  as 
Josiah  has  not  broken  his.  And  oh,  Hector,  you  do 
not  know  how  good  he  has  always  been  to  me,  and 
generous  and  indulgent!  It  is  not  his  fault  that  he 
is  not  of  our  class,  and  I  must  do  my  utmost  to  make 
him  happy,  and  atone  for  this  wound  which  I  have 
unwittingly  given  him,  and  which  he  is,  and  must 
always  remain,  unconscious  of.  Oh,  if  something 
could  have  warned  me,  after  that  first  time  we  met, 
that  I  would  love  you — had  begun  to  love  you — even 
then  there  would  have  been  time  to  draw  back,  to 
save  us  both,  perhaps,  from  suffering.  And  yet,  and 
yet,  I  do  not  know,  we  might  have  missed  the  greatest 
and  noblest  good  of  all  our  lives.  Dearest,  I  want 
you  to  keep  the  memory  of  me  as  something  happy. 
Each  year,  when  the  spring-time  comes  and  the 
young  fresh  green,  I  want  you  to  look  back  on  our 
day  at  Versailles,  and  to  say  to  yourself,  '  Life  cannot 
be  all  sad,  because  nature  gave  the  earth  the  return- 
ing spring.'  And  some  spring  must  come  for  us,  too 
— if  only  in  our  hearts. 

"And  now,  O  my  beloved,  good-bye!  I  cannot 
even  tell  to  you  the  anguish  which  is  wringing  my 
heart.  It  is  all  summed  up  in  this.  I  love  you!  I 
love  you!  and  we  must  say  forever  a  farewell! 

"Theodora. 

"P.S. — I  am  sending  this  to  your  home." 

As  he  read  the  last  words  the  paper  slipped 
from  Josiah 's  nerveless  hands,  and  for  many 

306 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


minutes  he  sat  as  one  stricken  blind  and 
dumb.  Then  his  poor,  plebeian  figure  seemed 
to  crumple  up,  and  with  an  inarticulate  cry  of 
rage  and  despair  he  fell  forward,  with  his  head 
upon  his  out-stretched  arms  across  the  break- 
fast-table. 

How  long  he  remained  there  he  never  knew. 
It  seemed  a  whole  lifetime  later  when  he  began 
to  realize  things — to  know  where  he  was— to 
remember. 

"Oh,  God!"  he  said.     "Oh,  God!" 

He  picked  up  the  letter  and  read  it  all  over 
again,  weighing  every  word. 

Who  was  this  thief  who  had  stolen  his  v/ife? 
Hector?  Hector?  Yes,  it  was  Lord  Bracon- 
dale;  he  remembered  now  he  had  heard  him 
called  that  at  Beechleigh.  He  would  like  to 
kill  him.  But  was  he  a  thief,  after  all?  or  was 
not — he — Josiah  the  thief?  To  have  stolen 
her  happiness,  and  her  life.  Her  young  life 
that  might  have  been  so  fair,  though  how  did 
he  know  that  at  the  time!  He  had  never 
thought  of  such  things.  She  was  what  he  de- 
sired, and  he  had  bought  her  with  gold.  No, 
he  was  not  a  thief,  he  had  bought  her  with 
gold,  and  because  of  that  she  was  going  to 
keep  to  her  bargain,  and  make  him  a  true  and 
faithful  wife. 

307 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Oh,  God!"  he  said  again.  "Oh,  God!" 
Presently  the  business  method  of  his  life 
came  back  to  him  and  helped  him.  He  must 
think  this  matter  over  carefully  and  see  if 
there  was  any  way  out.  It  all  looked  black 
enough — his  future,  that  but  an  hour  ago  had 
seemed  so  full  of  promise.  He  rang  for  the 
waiter  and  gave  orders  to  have  the  breakfast 
things  taken  away.  That  accomplished,  he 
requested  that  he  should  not  be  disturbed 
upon  any  pretext  whatsoever.  And  then, 
drawn  up  to  his  writing-table,  he  began  de- 
liberately to  think. 

Yes,  from  the  beginning  Theodora  had  been 
good  and  meek  and  docile.  He  remembered  a 
thousand  gentle,  unselfish  things  she  had  done 
for  him.  Her  patience,  her  kindness,  her  un- 
failing sympathy  in  all  his  ills,  the  considera- 
tion and  respect  with  which  she  treated  him. 
When — when  could  this  thing  have  begun? 
In  Paris?  Only  these  short  weeks  ago — was 
love  so  sudden  a  passion  as  that?  Then  he 
turned  to  the  letter  again  and  once  more  read 
it  through.  Poor  Theodora,  poor  little  girl,  he 
thought.  His  anger  was  gone  now;  nothing 
remained  but  an  intolerable  pain.  And  this 
lord — of  her  own  class — her  own  class!  How 
that  thought  hurt.     What  of  him?     He  was 

308 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


handsome  and  young,  and  just  the  mate  for 
Theodora.  And  she  had  said  good-bye  to 
him,  and  was  going  to  do  her  best  to  make 
him — ^Josiah — happy.  He  gave  a  wild  laugh. 
Oh,  the  mockery  of  it  all,  the  mockery  of  it  all! 
Well,  if  she  could  renounce  happiness  to  keep 
her  word,  what  could  he  do  for  her  in  return? 
She  must  never  know  of  the  mistake  she  had 
made  in  putting  the  letters  into  the  wrong  en- 
velopes. That  he  could  save  her  from.  But 
the  man?  He  would  know — for  he  must  have 
got  the  note  intended  for  him — Josiah.  What 
must  be  done  about  that?  He  thought  and 
thought.  And  at  last  he  drew  a  sheet  of  paper 
forward  and  wrote,  in  his  neat,  clerklike  hand, 
just  a  few  lines. 

And  these  were  they: 

"My  Lord, — You  will  have  received,  I  presume,  a 
communication  addressed  to  j^ou  and  intended  for 
me.  The  enclosed  speaks  for  itself.  I  send  it  to 
you  because  it  is  my  duty  to  do  so.  If  I  were  a 
young  man,  though  I  am  not  of  your  class,  I  would 
kill  you.  But  I  am  growing  old,  and  my  day  is  over. 
All  I  ask  of  you  is  never,  under  any  circumstances,  to 
let  my  wife  know  of  her  mistake  about  the  letters. 
I  do  not  wish  to  grieve  her,  or  cause  her  more  suffer- 
ing than  you  have  already  brought  upon  her, 
"Believe  me, 

"Yours  faithfully, 

"JOSIAH  BrowNo*" 

309 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


Then  he  got  down  the  Peerage  and  found 
the  correct  form  of  superscription  he  must  place 
upon  the  envelope. 

He  folded  the  two  letters,  his  own  and  Theo- 
dora's, and,  slipping  them  in,  sealed  the  packet 
with  his  great  seal  which  was  graven  with  a 
deep  J.  B,  And  lest  he  should  change  his  mind, 
he  rang  the  bell  for  the  w^aiter,  and  had  it 
despatched  to  the  post  at  once  —  to  be  sent 
by  express.  If  possible  it  must  reach  Lord 
Bracondale  at  the  same  time  as  the  other  letter 
— Theodora's  letter  to  himself  in  the  wrong 
envelope. 

And  then  poor  Josiah  subsided  into  his  chair 
again,  and  suffered  and  suffered.  He  was 
conscious  of  nothing  else — ^just  intense,  over- 
whelming suffering. 

When  his  secretary,  from  his  office  in  the 
City,  came  in  about  luncheon-time  to  transact 
some  important  business,  he  was  horrified  and 
distressed  to  see  the  change  in  his  patron;  for 
Josiah  looked  crumpled  and  shrivelled  and  old. 

"  I  caught  a  chill  coming  from  Bessington 
last  night,"  he  explained,  "and  I  will  send  for 
Toplington  to  give  me  a  draught  if  you  will 
kindly  touch  the  bell." 

Then  he  tried  to  concentrate  his  mind  on  his 
affairs  and  get  through  the  day.     But  the  gray 

310 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


look  kept  growing  and  growing,  and  the  secre- 
tary decided  towards  evening  to  suggest  send- 
ing for  Theodora.  Josiah,  how^ever,  would  not 
hear  of  this.  He  was  not  ill,  he  said,  it  was 
merely  a  chill ;  he  would  be  quite  restored  by  a 
night's  rest,  and  Mrs.  Brown  would  be  with 
him,  an3rway,  in  the  morning.  Of  what  use  to 
alarm  her  unnecessarily.  But  he  had  imfort- 
unately  mislaid  her  letter  with  the  exact  time 
of  her  train,  so  he  had  better  telegraph  to  her 
before  six  o'clock  to  make  sure.  He  wrote  it 
out  himself.     Just: 

"Stupidly  mislaid  your  letter.  What  time  did 
you  say  for  the  carriage  to  meet  your  train  ? 

"Josiah." 

And  about  eight  o'clock  her  reply  came,  and 
then  he  went  to  bed,  wondering  if  he  had 
reached  the  simimit  of  himian  suffering  or  if 
there  would  be  more  to  come. 


XXIX 

Late  that  night,  in  the  old  panelled  library 
at  Bracondale,  Hector  walked  up  and  down. 
He,  too,  was  suffering,  suffering  intensely,  his 
only  grain  of  comfort  being  that  he  was  alone. 
His  mother  w^as  away  in  the  north  with  Anne, 
and  he  had  the  place  to  himself.  In  his  hand 
was  Theodora's  letter.  As  Josiah  had  calcu- 
lated, knowing  cross-country  posts,  both  his 
and  hers  had  arrived  at  the  same  time. 

Hector  paced  and  paced  up  and  down,  his 
thoughts  maddening  him. 

And  so  three  people  were  unhappy  now — 
not  he  and  his  beloved  one  alone.  This  was 
the  greater  calamity. 

But  how  he  had  misjudged  Josiah!  The 
common,  impossible  husband  had  behaved 
with  a  nobility,  a  justice,  and  forbearance 
which  he  knew  his  own  passionate  nature 
would  not  have  been  capable  of.  It  had 
touched  him  to  the  core,  and  he  had  written  at 
once  in  reply,  enclosing  Theodora's  letter 
about  the  arrival  of  the  train. 

312 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Dear  Sir, — I  am  overcome  with  your  generosity 
and  your  justice.  I  thank  you  for  your  letter  and 
for  your  magnanimity  in  forwarding  the  enclosure  it 
contained.  I  understand  and  appreciate  the  senti- 
ment you  express  when  you  say,  had  you  been 
younger  you  would  have  killed  me,  and  I  on  my  side 
would  have  been  happy  to  offer  you  any  satisfaction 
you  might  have  wished,  and  am  ready  to  do  so  now 
if  you  desire  it.  At  the  same  time,  I  would  like  you 
to  know,  in  deed,  I  have  never  injured  you.  My 
deep  and  everlasting  grief  will  be  that  I  have  brought 
pain  and  sorrow  into  the  life  of  a  lady  who  is  very 
dear  to  us  both.  My  own  life  is  darkened  forever  as 
well,  and  I  am  going  away  out  of  England  for  a  long 
time  as  soon  as  I  can  make  my  arrangements.  I 
will  respect  your  desire  never  to  inform  yovir  wife  of 
her  mistake,  and  I  will  not  trouble  either  of  you 
again.  Only,  by  a  later  post,  I  intend  to  answer  her 
letter  and  say  farewell. 

"Believe  me, 

"Yours  truly, 

"Bracondale." 

This  he  had  despatched  some  hours  ago,  but 
his  last  good-bye  to  Theodora  was  not  yet 
written.  What  could  he  say  to  her?  How 
could  he  tell  her  of  all  the  misery  and  anguish, 
all  the  pain  which  was  racking  his  being;  he, 
who  knew  life  and  most  things  it  could  hold, 
and  so  could  judge  of  the  fact  that  nothing, 
nothing,  counted  now  but  herself — and  they 
should  meet  no  more,  and  it  was  the  end.  A 
blank,   absolute  end  to  all  joy.     Nothing  to 

313 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


exist  upon  but  the  remembrance  of  an  hour  or 
two's  bliss  and  a  few  tender  kisses. 

And  as  Josiah  had  done,  he  could  only  say: 
"Oh,  God!     Oh,  God!" 

On  top  of  his  large  escritoire  there  stood  a 
minute  and  very  perfect  copy  of  the  fragment 
of  Psyche,  which  he  had  so  intensely  admired. 
He  turned  to  it  now  as  his  only  consolation; 
the  likeness  to  Theodora  was  strong;  the  exact 
same  form  of  face,  and  the  way  her  hair  grew; 
the  pure  line  of  the  cheek,  and  the  angle  which 
the  head  was  set  on  to  the  coliimn  of  her 
throat — all  might  have  been  chiselled  from 
her.  How  often  had  he  seen  her  looking  down 
like  that.  Perhaps  the  only  difference  at  all 
was  that  Theodora's  nose  was  fine,  and  not  so 
heavy  and  Greek;  otherwise  he  had  her  there 
in  front  of  him — his  Theodora,  his  gift  of  the 
gods,  his  Psyche,  his  soul.  And  wherever  he 
should  wander — if  in  wildest  Africa  or  furthest 
India,  in  Alaska  or  Tibet  —  this  little  frag- 
ment of  white  marble  should  bear  him  com- 
pany. 

It  calmed  him  to  look  at  it — the  beautiful 
Greek  thing. 

And  he  sat  down  and  wrote  to  his  loved  one 
his  good-bye. 

He  told  her  of  his  sorrow  and  his  love,  and 
314 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


how  he  was  going  away  from  England,  he  did 
not  yet  know  where,  and  should  be  absent 
many  months,  and  how  forever  his  thoughts 
from  distant  lands  would  bridge  the  space  be- 
tween them,  and  surroimd  her  with  tenderness 
and  worship. 

And  her  letter,  he  said,  should  never  leave 
him — her  two  letters ;  they  should  be  dearer  to 
him  than  his  life.  He  prayed  her  to  take  care 
of  herself,  and  if  at  any  time  she  should  w^ant 
him  to  send  for  him  from  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
Bracondale  would  always  find  him,  sooner  or 
later,  and  he  was  hers  to  order  as  she  willed. 

And  as  he  had  ended  his  letter  before,  so  he 
ended  this  one  now: 

"  For  ever  and  ever  your  devoted 

"Lover." 

After  this  he  sat  a  long  time  and  gazed  out 
upon  the  night.  It  was  very  dark  and  cloudy, 
but  in  one  space  above  his  head  two  stars  shone 
forth  for  a  moment  in  a  clear  peep  of  sky,  and 
they  seemed  to  send  him  a  message  of  hope. 
What  hope?  Was  it,  as  she  had  said,  the 
thought  that  there  would  be  a  returning  spring 
— even  for  them? 


XXX 

And  the  summer  wore  away  and  the  drip- 
ping autumn  came,  and  with  each  w^eek,  each 
day  almost,  Josiah  seemed  to  shrivel. 

It  was  not  very  noticeable  at  first,  after  the 
ten  days  of  sharp  illness  which  had  prostrated 
him  when  he  received  the  fatal  letter. 

He  appeared  to  recover  almost  from  that, 
and  they  went  down  to  Bessington  Hall  at  the 
beginning  of  July.  But  there  was  no  further 
talk  of  a  second  honeymoon. 

Theodora's  tenderness  and  devotion  never 
flagged.  If  her  heart  was  broken  she  could  at 
least  keep  her  word,  and  try  to  make  her  hus- 
band happy.  And  so  each  one  acted  a  part, 
with  much  zeal  for  the  other's  w^elfare. 

It  was  anguish  to  Josiah  to  see  his  wife's 
sweet  face  grow  whiter  and  thinner;  she  was 
so  invariably  bright  and  cheerful  with  him,  so 
considerate  of  his  slightest  wish. 

His  pride  and  affection  for  her  had  turned 
into  a  sort  of  adoration  as  the  cays  wore  on. 
He  used  to  watch  her  silently  from  behind  a 

316 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


paper,  or  when  she  thought  he  slept.  Then 
the  mask  of  smiles  fell  from  her,  and  he  saw 
the  pathetic  droop  of  her  yoimg,  fair  head  and 
the  mournful  gloom  that  would  creep  into  her 
great,  blue  eyes. 

And  he  was  the  stumbHng-block  to  her  hap- 
piness. She  had  sent  away  the  man  she  loved 
in  order  to  stay  and  be  true  to  him,  to  minister 
to  his  wants,  and  do  her  utmost  to  render  him 
happy.  Oh,  what  could  he  do  for  her  in  re- 
turn ?     What  possible  thing  ? 

He  lavished  gifts  upon  her ;  he  lavished  gifts 
upon  her  sisters,  upon  her  father ;  their  welfare, 
he  remembered,  was  part  of  the  bargain.  At 
least  she  would  know  these — her  dear  ones — 
had  gained  by  it,  and,  so  far,  her  sacrifice  had 
not  been  in  vain. 

This  thought  comforted  him  a  little.  But 
the  constant  gnawing  ache  at  his  heart,  and 
the  withdrawal  of  all  object  to  Hve  for,  soon  be- 
gan to  tell  upon  his  always  feeble  constitution. 

Of  what  use  was  anything  at  all  ?  His  house 
or  his  lands!  His  pride  in  his  position — even 
his  title  of  "  squire,"  which  he  often  heard  now. 
All  were  dead-sea  fruit,  dust  and  ashes;  there 
never  would  be  any  Browns  of  Bessington  in 
the  years  to  come.  There  never  would  be  any- 
thing for  him,  never  any  more. 
ai  317 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


For  a  week  in  September  Captain  and  Mrs. 
Dominic  Fitzgerald  had  paid  them  a  visit,  and 
the  brilliant  bride  had  cheered  them  up  for  a 
little  and  seemed  to  bring  new  life  with  her. 
She  expressed  herself  as  completely  satisfied 
with  her  purchase  in  the  way  of  a  husband ;  it 
was  just  as  she  had  known,  three  was  a  lucky 
nimiber  for  her,  and  Dominic  was  her  soul's 
mate,  and  they  were  going  to  lead  the  life  they 
both  loved,  of  continual  movement  and  change 
and  gayety. 

But  the  situation  at  Bessington  distressed 
her. 

"Why,  my  dear,  they  are  just  like  a  couple 
of  sick  paroquets,"  she  said  to  her  husband. 
"Mr.  Brown  don't  look  long  for  this  world, 
and  Theodora  is  a  shadow!  What  in  the 
Lord's  name  has  been  happening  to  them?" 

But  Dominic  could  not  enlighten  her.  Be- 
fore they  left  she  determined  to  ascertain  for 
herself. 

The  last  evening  she  said  to  Theodora,  who 
was  bidding  her  good-night  in  her  room : 

"I  had  a  letter  from  your  friend  Lord 
Bracondale  last  week,  from  Alaska.  He  asks 
for  news  of  you.  Did  you  see  him  after  he 
came  from  Paris?  He  was  only  a  short  while 
in  England,  I  understand." 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


"Yes,  we  saw  him  once  or  twice,"  said 
Theodora,  "and  we  made  the  acquaintance  of 
his  sister." 

"He  always  seemed  to  be  very  fond  of  her. 
Is  she  a  nice  sort  of  woman?" 

"Very  nice." 

"  I  hear  the  mother  is  clean  crazy  with  him 
for  going  off  again  and  not  marrying  that 
heiress  they  are  so  set  upon.  But  why  should 
he?     He  don't  want  the  money." 

"No,"  said  Theodora. 

"Was  he  at  Beechleigh  when  you  were 
there?" 

"Yes." 

"And  Miss  Winmarleigh,  too?" 

"Yes,  she  was  there," 

"  Oh !"  said  Mrs.  Fitzgerald.  "  A  great  lump 
of  a  woman,  isn't  she?" 

"She  is  rather  large." 

This  was  hopeless — a  conversation  of  this 
sort  —  Jane  Fitzgerald  decided.  It  told  her 
nothing. 

Theodora's  face  had  become  so  schooled  it 
did  not,  even  to  her  step-mother's  sharp  eyes, 
betray  any  emotion. 

"I  am  glad  if  the  folly  is  over,"  she  thought 
to  herself.  "But  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  it 
hasn't  something  to  do  with  it  still,  after  all. 
319 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


If  it  is  not  that,  what  can  it  be?"  Then  she 
said  aloud:  "He  is  going  through  America,  and 
we  shall  meet  him  when  we  get  back  in  Novem- 
ber, most  likely.  I  shall  persuade  him  to  come 
down  to  Florida  with  us,  if  I  can.  He  seems 
to  be  aimlessly  wandering  round,  I  suppose, 
shooting  things;  but  Florida  is  the  loveliest 
place  in  the  world,  and  I  wish  you  and  Josiah 
would  come,  too,  my  dear." 

"That  would  be  beautiful,"  said  Theodora, 
"but  Josiah  is  not  fit  for  a  long  journey.  We 
shall  go  to  the  Riviera,  most  probably,  when 
the  weather  gets  cold." 

"  Have  you  no  message  for  him  then,  Theo- 
dora, when  I  see  him?" 

And  now  there  was  some  sign.  Theodora 
clasped  her  hands  together,  and  she  said  in  a 
constrained  voice: 

"Yes.  Tell  him  I  hope  he  is  well — and  I 
am  well — just  that,"  and  she  walked  over  to 
the  dressing-table  and  picked  up  a  brush,  and 
put  it  down  again  nervously. 

"I  shall  tell  him  no  such  thing,"  said  her 
step-mother,  kindly,  "because  I  don't  believe 
it  is  true.  You  are  not  well,  dear  child,  and  I 
am  worried  about  you." 

But  Theodora  assured  her  that  she  was,  and 
all  was  as  it  should  be,  and  nothing  further 

320 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


could  be  got  out  of  her;  so  they  kissed  and 
wished  each  other  good-night.  And  Jane  Fitz- 
gerald, left  to  herself,  heaved  a  great  sigh. 

Next  day,  after  this  cheery  pair  had  gone, 
things  seemed  to  take  a  deeper  gloom. 

The  mention  of  Hector's  name  and  where- 
abouts had  roused  Theodora's  dormant  sor- 
rows into  activity  again;  and  with  all  her  will 
and  determination  to  hide  her  anguish,  Josiah 
could  perceive  an  added  note  of  pathos  in  her 
voice  at  times  and  less  and  less  elasticity  in 
her  step. 

Once  he  would  have  noticed  none  of  these 
things,  but  now  each  shade  of  difference  in  her 
made  its  impression  upon  him. 

And  so  the  time  wore  on,  their  hearts  full  of 
an  abiding  grief. 

When  October  set  in  Josiah  caught  a  ba^l 
cold,  which  obliged  him  to  keep  to  his  bed  for 
days  and  days.  He  did  not  seem  very  ill,  and 
assured  his  wife  he  would  be  all  right  soon ;  but 
by  November,  Sir  Baldwin  Evans,  who  was 
sent  for  hurriedly  from  London,  broke  it 
gently  to  Theodora  that  her  husband  could 
not  live  through  the  winter.  He  might  not 
even  live  for  many  days.  Then  she  wept 
bitter  tears.  Had  she  been  remiss  in  anything  ? 
What  could  she  do  for  him  ?  Oh,  poor  Josiah ! 
321 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


And  Josiah  knew  that  his  day  was  done,  as 
he  lay  there  in  his  splendid,  silk-curtained  bed. 
But  life  had  become  of  such  small  worth  to 
him  that  he  was  almost  glad. 

"  Now,  soon  she  can  be  happy — my  little 
girl,"  he  said  to  himself,  "with  the  one  of 
her  class.  It  does  not  do  to  mix  them,  and 
I  was  a  fool  to  try.  But  her  heart  is  too 
kind  ever  to  quite  forget  poor  old  Josiah 
Brown." 

And  this  thought  comforted  him.  And  that 
night  he  died. 

Then  Theodora  wept  her  heart  out  as  she 
kissed  his  cold,  thin  hand. 

When  they  got  the  telegram  in  New  York  at 
Mrs.  Fitzgerald's  mansion.  Hector  was  just 
leaving  the  house,  and  Captain  Fitzgerald  ran 
after  him  down  the  steps. 

"My  son-in-law,  Josiah  Brown,  is  dead,"  he 
said.  "My  wife  thought  you  would  be  inter- 
ested to  hear.  Poor  fellow,  he  was  not  very 
old  either — only  fifty-two." 

Hector  almost  staggered  for  a  moment,  and 
leaned  against  the  gilded  balustrade.  Then  he 
took  off  his  hat  reverently,  while  he  said,  in  his 
deep,  expressive  voice: 

"There  lived  no  greater  gentleman." 

And  Captain  Fitzgerald  wondered  if  he  were 
322 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


mad  or  what  he  could  mean,  as  he  watched 
him  stride  away  down  the  street. 

But  when  he  told  his  wife,  she  understood, 
for  she  had  just  learned  from  Hector  the  whole 
story. 

And  perhaps — who  knows?  Far  away  in 
Shadowland  Josiah  heard  those  words,  "There 
lived  no  greater  gentleman."  And  if  he  did — 
they  fell  like  balm  on  his  sad  soiil. 


XXXI 

It  was  eighteen  months  after  this  before  they 
met  again — Hector  and  Theodora;  and  now  it 
was  May,  and  the  flowers  bloomed  and  the 
birds  sang,  and  all  the  world  was  young  and 
fair — only  Morella  Winmarleigh  was  growing 
into  a  bitter  old  maid. 

At  twenty-eight  people  might  have  taken  her 
for  a  matron  of  ten  years  older. 

She  had  wondered  for  weeks  what  was  the 
result  of  her  action  with  the  letters.  She 
hoped  daily  to  hear  of  some  catastrophe  and 
scandal  falling  upon  the  head  of  Theodora. 
But  she  heard  nothing.  It  was  only  after 
Josiah's  death  that  details  were  wafted  to  her 
through  the  Fitzgeralds. 

How  poor  Mr.  Brown  had  never  really  re- 
covered from  a  slight  stroke  he  had  had  on 
leaving  Beechleigh,  and  of  Theodora's  goodness 
and  devotion  to  him,  and  of  his  worship  of  her. 
And  Morella  had  the  maddening  feeling  that  if 
she  had  left  well  alone  this  death  might  never 
have  occurred,  and  her  hated  rival  might  not 

324 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


now  be  a  free  and  beautiful  widow,  with  no 
impediment  between  herself  and  Hector  when 
they  should  choose  to  meet. 

She  had  meant  to  be  revenged  and  punish 
them,  and  it  seemed  she  had  only  cleared  their 
path  to  happiness.  There  was  really  no  justice 
in  this  world! 

Theodora  had  gone  to  meet  her  father  and 
step-mother  in  Paris. 

Her  sisters  were  married  and  very  happy, 
she  hoped.  Prosperity  had  wonderfully  em- 
bellished their  attractions,  and  even  Sarah  had 
found  a  mate. 

And  Lady  Bracondale  remained  her  placid, 
stately  self.  Her  grief  and  disappointment 
over  Hector's  departure  from  England  had 
passed  away  by  now,  as  so  had  her  treasured 
dream  of  receiving  Morella  Winmarleigh  as  a 
daughter.  But  Anne  whispered  to  her  that 
she  need  not  worry  forever,  and  some  day  soon 
her  brother  might  choose  a  bride  whom  even 
she  would  love. 

Hector  had  continued  his  wanderings  over 
the  world  for  many  months  after  Josiah's 
death.  He  felt,  should  he  return  to  England, 
nothing  could  keep  him  from  Theodora. 

And  she,  too,  had  travelled  and  explored 
fresh  scenes,  and  was  now  a  supremely  beauti- 
325 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


ful  and  experienced  woman — courted  and  flat- 
tered, and  besieged  by  many  adorers. 

But  she  was  still  Theodora,  with  only  one 
love  in  her  heart  and  one  dream  in  her  soul — 
to  meet  Hector  again  and  spend  the  rest  of 
her  life  in  the  shelter  of  his  arms. 

She  heard  of  him  often  through  her  step- 
mother; and  sometimes  she  saw  Anne — and 
both  Hector  and  she  understood,  and  knew 
the  time  would  come  when  they  could  be  happy. 

Jane  Anastasia  Fitzgerald  had  romantic 
notions.  This  pretty  pair,  whom  she  looked 
upon  as  of  her  own  producing,  must  meet 
again  under  her  auspices  in  like  circumstances 
as  they  had  done  on  the  happy  and  never-to- 
be-forgotten  day  when  she  herself  had  prom- 
ised her  heart  and  hand  to  Dominic  Fitzgerald. 

"There  is  something  lucky  about  Ver- 
sailles," she  said,  "and  they  shall  experience  it, 
too!" 

So  she  planned  a  picnic,  and  arranged  it 
with  Hector  before  he  reached  Paris.  He  was 
not  to  show  himself  or  communicate  with 
Theodora;  he  was  just  to  be  there  at  the 
Reservoirs  and  wait  for  their  arrival. 

And  the  gods  smiled — and  the  day  was  fine 
— and  the  trees  were  green — as  had  been  an- 
other day,  two  years  ago. 

326 


Beyond  the  Rocks 


And  oh,  the  wild,  mad  joy  that  surged  up  in 
their  hearts  when  their  eyes  met  once  more! 

They  could  not  speak,  it  seemed,  even  the 
words  of  poHteness;  so  they  wandered  away 
into  the  spring  woods,  silent  and  glad;  and  it 
was  not  until  they  reached  the  shrine  of  old 
Enceladus  that  Hector  clasped  Theodora  again 
in  his  arms,  and  gave  rein  to  all  the  passionate 
love  and  delirious  happiness  which  was  flood- 
ing his  being. 

There  one  can  leave  them — together— for 
always — looking  out  upon  the  realization  of 
that  fair  dream  of  life. 

Safe  in  each  other's  arms,  in  those  smooth 
waters,  beyond  the  rocks. 


THE   END 


JFTER  THE  HONEYMOON— WHAT ? 
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